Apprentice
by Aneirin
Summary: Darth Maul wakes up, alive and in the Eva world. He looks up to see a giant blue droid being attacked by a glowing purple Worm. Maul is here, and in the first few seconds after his arrival he's already drastically changed everyone's path.
1. where am i?

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or Evangelion. Just this story

This is my second Evangelion and Star Wars crossover. It's almost the total opposite of the other one, because this time it's only got a tiny bit of Star Wars in it. Hope you like it!

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Darth Maul awoke suddenly. 'Where am I?' he thought. 'Am I not dead?' he looked around. He seemed to be in some kind of forest. But this was no forest he recognized. And what kind of trees where they? He got up and- he got up!? He looked down, and saw that he had his legs.

'What?' he thought. 'I remember being cut in half by that Jedi. How am I still whole? Where am I?' Upon further inspection, he discovered that he was also wearing his cloak, with the hood over his head. He checked his belt to find his lightsaber, undamaged. 'But it was cut in half,' he thought. 'What is going on?' Suddenly, he heard loud noises coming from behind him. He turned around. 'What is that?' He saw what appeared to be a large- no, **gigantic** blue droid being attacked by a giant glowing purple worm. Currently, the worm seemed to be burrowing its way into the droid.

Maul didn't know what the Worm was, but he got a strange feeling from it. Some instinct inside of him just screamed, "Kill It!" He ran with superhuman-like speed towards the droid, and began running and jumping up along its body. He activated one of the blades on his lightsaber. He reached the droids chest, jumped up, and then brought his saber down through the Worm, carving halfway through the width of it's body. The Worm gave a terrible screech. As Maul fell towards the ground, he activated the second blade and sent his lightsaber flying back up to finish the Worm off.

He landed on his feet, the force still flowing through him. He guided his lightsaber down without looking, catching it and deactivating the blades.

The Worm howled out again in agony, and disintegrated.

888

Rei froze when the pain vanished, her hand stopping just above the self-destruct. 'The Angel...' she thought. 'It's dead?' Armisael had died, and the mental link it had created with Rei had died with it.

888

Everyone who had been watching the scene inside the NERV complex was stunned. What on earth had that black thing been? And how had it been able to kill the Angel so easily?

888

"What?" said Shinji, sitting inside Unit 1. He had seen the black thing run up Unit 0. It had looked human in shape. But that wasn't all. Whatever it had been had saved Rei.

888

Maul stood up, and looked up at the blue droid. Who could make a droid that large? And why had he sensed life when he had run up it? He looked around, and saw an equally large purple droid. 'What are these things?' he thought. 'And more importantly, where am I?'

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OMG short! All of my first chapters are. And it's about time I got back to Evangelion. A note to anyone waiting for the next chapter of "Star Wars: The Shinji Saga":I've hit a major snag. I've sort of lost interest in it as well. This is only temporary. What I really need is a break from it (what, like three or four months isn't enough?) for a while. So if you were waiting for it, please forgive me.

I've got another Eva fic planned, and I'll get chapter one out soon.

And I don't know if Maul was out of character. He didn't do much in this chapter, and we don't know much about his character anyway. Well, I'll do my best.

Hope you liked it!


	2. questions

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or Evangelion. Just this story

Tada! I'm back! You thought you could get rid of me, but guess what? You can't! Ha! Lol. Anyway, sorry about the delay. Writer's block hits me hard. But I seem to be getting over it, which is good. Now, here's chapter 2! Enjoy!

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A retrieval crew was sent out to pick up the pilots right away. And to find the mysterious black thing. Gendo Ikari himself was on one of the VTOL's on their way to the scene. He had to know what it was. He had to know what the black thing had been.

888

Maul stood there, still surveying his surroundings. He looked curiously at the droids. They weren't moving. Suddenly, there was a noise. It sounded like something was being opened. Maul looked up quickly. A long metal thing was sliding out of the purple droid's back. Was it some kind of weapon? Was it a threat?

Maul looked at the thing carefully. He sensed life inside of it. Human life. He was sure of it. He sensed something else from inside the metal thing. Without a doubt, the human inside was endowed with the Fo-

His thoughts were cut short, as another sound cut through the air. He whirled around, seeing a strange looking aircraft land. Another landed next to it. Several men with what looked like blasters piled out of the second one. Maul, in his curiosity, just watched as they surrounded him and pointed their weapons at him. He sensed that they would not shoot. Then, behind them, emerged a man with dark glasses. For a second, Maul felt as if he was standing in the presence of his master. But this man was not Lord Sidious.

The man signaled to the surrounding men, and they lowered their weapons. He looked pointedly at Maul. "Who are you?" he asked. Maul stayed silent, surveying these newcomers. "I said," said the man, "Who are you?"

"Maul" said the young Sith.

"Maul?" repeated the man. The man was silent for a moment. "Well, Maul," he said finally, "How were you able to defeat the Angel?"

"Angel?" asked Maul.

"The creature you just eliminated," said the man.

"The Worm?" asked Maul.

"Yes," said the man. Maul stood there for a moment. "I suggest you answer my questions boy," said the man, beginning to lose patience.

"Boy?" growled Maul. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

"I don't know," said the man, "And I don't care. You'd best start answering my questions-" he signaled to his men, who raised their blasters,"-or else." Maul smirked.

"You think you can threaten me with blasters?" he asked, pulling a long, metal, cylindrical device from his belt.

"Blasters?" said the man, the term puzzling him. Maul pressed a red button on the device, and a red beam erupted from one end. The men around him were too shocked to move. Maul pressed a second button, and another beam appeared on the other end.

"Now you can start answering my questions," said Maul. "Where am I? And who are you?"

"My name," said the man, "Is Gendo Ikari." Gendo was not a man to be caught off guard. The strange device held by the boy in front of him was not about to frighten this man. "And you are outside of Tokyo-3 in Japan."

"Japan?" said Maul. "Is that the name of this planet, or this system?" This, however, was enough to catch Gendo off guard.

"That is the name of the country you're in," said Gendo. "You're on Earth, as you have been all your life." 'This kid is insane,' thought Gendo.

"Earth?" said Maul. "I've never heard of it." He put a gloved hand to his tattooed chin, deep in thought.

"Regardless," said Gendo, "You're coming with us." Maul was immediately on the defensive. He couldn't attack just yet. He needed to find out how to get off of this planet first. "If you think you're going to deflect bullets with that over-sized glow-stick of yours, you're crazier than I imagined."

"Bullets?" asked Maul. He then thought to himself, 'What sort of primitive planet is this?'

"Yes, bullets," said Gendo. "What else did you think guns would be loaded with? Now, put down your weapon." Maul thought for a second. He wasn't fast enough to block bullets, but if he used the Force he could probably-

"Stop!" exclaimed a voice, cutting off his thoughts. "Dad! Don't shoot!" A brown haired boy in a strange looking white and blue suit was running towards them. At first, Maul wondered where he had come from. He must have been the one inside the purple droid!

"Stay out of this," said Gendo. However, Shinji totally ignored him. He was looking at Maul intently. Maul couldn't tell why. His face didn't express fear or hatred. It was something else, something which he couldn't quite understand.

"You," said Shinji, walking towards him. "Thank you." Shinji, at the moment, wasn't put off by Maul's bizarre appearance. His only thought was to thank the person who had saved Rei's life. The mental strain of the whole ordeal didn't leave room for any other thought than that.

Surprised not only by the boy's unreadable expression, but by the first time anyone had ever shown him gratitude of any kind, Maul lowered his saber. Who was this boy? He had to know. And beyond that, Maul sensed something about the boy. He was certain that this boy had the Fo-

"Sir!" said a voice, once again cutting through his thoughts. He saw a uniformed man standing next to Gendo. "Recovery of Pilot Ayanami was succesful." Gendo's expression was unreadable as he replied.

"Has she sustained any injury?" he asked.

"No sir," said the man. "She's being loaded onto The VTOL right now."

"Good," said Gendo. He looked back at Maul. "You are coming with us, Maul."

"Fine," said Maul. He followed Shinji, who'd already started heading for the VTOL that Rei was being put on. Gendow stood there, confused for a moment. Who was this strange boy?"

888

The ride on the VTOL was mostly a silent one. Darth Maul was deep in thought contemplating everything. The boy who'd thanked him earlier was also quiet keeping a constant watch on the blue-haired girl he assumed must be the 'Rei' whom they had mentioned earlier. She was unconscious at the moment. It was strange. The girl was radiating the same energy as the boy, as well as something else. She was radiating a similar energy as that of the Worm. It made Maul vaguely uneasy. He couldn't explain it.

Shinji watched over Rei, every once in a while glancing back at the strange, hooded, black-robed figure who had saved her. Who was he? Where did he come from? Why were there tatoos all over his face? And how had he defeated the Angel? He didn't dwell on any of these things long though. His over-riding thoughts concerned Rei. Beyond that he was exhausted from the ordeal, and couldn't devote much energy to too much thinking.

After arriving at the NERV facility, Rei was immediately taken to the medical bay. Shinji followed, still wanting to keep an eye on her. There's a good chance Gendo may have simply sent him home had he not been preoccupied with Maul. Maul was sent to the medical bay as well, to be examined. He went along with it, knowing he'd have to cooperate for now if he wanted to see those two kids again. They had the potential. Yes, they definitely had the potential.

Ritsuko gasped when Maul set foot in the room. He took no notice of it and walked over to the examination table and sat down. Gendo followed him in shortly.

"Who-" began Risuko, but she was cut off by Gendo.

"This is Maul," said Gendo. "He is the one who defeated the Angel."

"How?" asked Ritsuko.

"That's what we're going to find out."

888

It had been an hour. Ritsuko had run through the entire procedure involved in a medical check-up, as well as drawing some blood for the Magi Super Computer to analyze. Despite his appearance, everything about him seemed human. Maul bore it all quietly. His cloak, shirt, and lightsaber lay next to him. Ritsuko looked with interest at his tatoos. They looked as if they'd been done all in one sitting. He must have been tough to sit through all of that tatooing.

"I haven't found anything special about this boy yet," said Ritsuko, "Other than he's in peak physical condition."

"Why do you keep calling me boy?" asked Maul finally.

"Well," said Ritsuko, "Probably because you only look about sixteen."

"Sixteen!?" exclaimed Maul. "What are you talking about? I am at least twenty." Sure his voice didn't sound as deep as it used to be, but that could be because of something in the air on this planet.

"Sure you are," said the 'blonde', "And I bet you're from outer-space too."

"I'm not from Earth if that's what you mean," said Maul, confused. It was obvious that he wasn't a human, wasn't it?

"Sure you're not," said Ritsuko saracstically. Maul was losing his patience. Surely this woman had to be blind!

"How many humans do you know with horns!" he demanded. It was Ritsuko's turn to be confused.

"Horns?" she asked. "What horns?"

"These!" exclaimed Maul touching the top of his head. "My-" He stopped. He couldn't feel his horns! Was that... No it couldn't be. There was no way that that was... hair?

"What's wrong?" asked Ritsuko. "Couldn't find any horns?"

"Do you have a mirror?" asked Maul quietly. Ritsuko nodded and handed him a mirror. Maul watched his reflection's yellow eyes widen in surprise. His horns were gone, and in their place was a head of brown hair! He looked much younger as well! What was happening?

888

Rei's eyes flickered open. 'Where am I?' she thought. As her vision cleared, She looked up and saw someone sitting next to her. Shinji held her hand, smiling at her. "Shinji?" she said.

"Are you all right Rei?" he asked. Her feelings for the boy started rushing back to her.

"Yes," she answered. She tried to sit up. "Shinji, I-"

"Shh," said Shinji, gently cutting her off. "You need to rest Rei, you've been through a lot." Her head slowly sank back to the pillow.

'He is concerned for my well being,' she thought. 'He cares about me.' She smiled faintly and closed her eyes. She wanted to tell him now, but she was tired. She would tell him later. She was soon asleep. Shinji watched her for a little while, feeling sleepy himself. Not wishing to leave her, he eventually fell asleep where he sat. Rei was okay, and that was all that mattered.

888

"The results are in," said Ritsuko, holding a clipboard. She looked at the paper on the clipboard. Her eyes widened.

"Well?" asked Gendo.

"He was telling the truth," said Ritsuko. "He isn't human."

"He isn't?" asked Gendo. "An Angel then?"

"No," said Ritsuko. "The Magi don't know what he is. "They only know that he's a humanoid being of some kind. And while the Magi confirms that he is physically about sixteen, the data on his mental activity is akin to a young man in his early twenties."

"Maybe that's how his species is?" said Gendo.

"I don't think so," said Ritsuko. "He said that he was in his twenties, and when he saw himself in the mirror he was quite surprised."

"Hmm," said Gendo, resting his chin on the backs of his hands. "We will have to find out more about him. In the meantime, there is still the matter of Rei. We don't know what effect the Angel may have had on her."

"None of our scans have picked up any abnormalities," said the doctor, a slightly irritated expression on her face. Gendo was silent for a moment.

"You are dismissed for now, Dr. Akagi," he said. She walked out, leaving Gendo to his thoughts.

'This was not part of the plan,' he said. 'Nothing like this was in the Dead Sea Scrolls. What is going on?'

888

Maul had been given a room in the sickbay to stay in for the time being. Like Gendo, he too was lost in his own thoughts. Why was he suddenly several years younger? Why did he have hair now instead of horns? And what would he do about the boy and the girl. Yes, those two. There was no doubt about it.

Those two were endowed with the ability to use the Force!

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Dun dun duuuuuuun! What's gonna happen now? What could Darth Maul be planning? And what's going on with that guy anyway? Why is he alive/younger/hornless? Stay tuned an find out!

Again, I hope he's not ooc, but it's hard to tell. We didn't get much of his character in Episode 1. There's most likely a lot more to him than what we saw. So, I'm trying my best.


	3. revelations

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or Evangelion. Just this story

Author's note: Woo! Back in action and it feels great! I'm going to see how long I can write these two stories (the other being Weapon X ) together. I'll be updating them both on the same day for as long as possible (or at least within 24 hours of each other). And heeeeeeere we go!

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Rei slowly opened her eyes. She was in the medical bay. She looked up, hoping he would still be there. He was. Shinji was still sitting there, and still holding her hand.

Shinji yawned and slowly opened his eyes. He looked around for a moment. He was slightly confused. He couldn't remember ever falling asleep while sitting down. He looked down, and saw that he was still in his plug suit. Then he noticed Rei, laying there and staring at him unblinkingly.

"Uh," he said awkwardly, "G-good morning Rei."

"Good morning Shinji," she replied.

"Are you feeling any better?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, sitting up. "Shinji, there is something I must tell you."

"Yes?" he asked, noting that she was now using his first name quite comfortably. He also realized that he was still holding her hand.

"Shinji I... I..." Rei suddenly found herself unsure of how to say it. She found herself wondering how he would react if she said it in that way. 'Strange,' she thought. 'I have never had trouble speaking to him before.'

Shinji, who had never known Rei to be someone who stammer, was concerned again. "Are you alright Rei?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "It's just..." She looked down for a moment, then looked him dead in the eye. "Shinji, when we fought the Angel yesterday, I realized something."

"What?" asked Shinji.

"I love you," she said bluntly.

"W-what?" asked Shinji, not sure he'd heard correctly.

"I love you," she repeated. "I was going to self destruct so that I could kill the Angel, because I did not want it to harm you. I realized that I wanted to become one with you." Shinji sat in stunned silence for a moment. Rei Ayanami... loved him?

"You... love... me...?"

"Yes," said Rei, begining to lean towards him. "Shinji I-" She was cut off by the sound of the door opening. The last person on Earth who needed to be there stepped into the room.

"What is going on here?" asked Gendo. Shinji's expression, though luckily unseen by Gendo due to Shinji's back being towards the door, went from shocked and puzzled to somewhat scared. "I ask again," said Gendo, "What is going on here?"

"Pilot Ikari was merely checking to see if I was alright," said Rei, quickly letting go of Shinji's hand before Gendo could see.

"Oh," said Gendo. "And are you alright?"

"Yes sir," said Rei.

"Good," said Gendo. "Then I see no reason for you to stay here, Shinji. You are dismissed."

"Y-yes sir," said Shinji, standing up. Rei did not want him to leave, as he had not told her how he felt about her, but she knew that Gendo could not know of this. She had a feeling that he would not want her to get close to Shinji. Shinji walked out of the room, not once looking his father in the eye. He had to go find somewhere to think.

888

Maul awoke. He looked about, taking stock of his surroundings. It was the work of a moment to remember what had happened the day before. He ran a hand through his hair, still wondering how it got there. He looked about once more as he did, making sure none of his things had been taken while he slept. Everything was still there. He turned his thoughts back to the matter of the two children from yesterday. It led him to other thoughts as well.

'I am the only Sith here,' he said. 'I have a feeling that I am the only one on this planet with any knowledge of the Force. Yes, I am most certain of that. And I do not believe that this planet has the technology for extensive space travel, or they would not have been so skeptical of me not being from this planet. I am alone. I am cut off from my master.' He then realized something big. 'I no longer answer to my master... I am free. Free to do as I wish!' He stood up, a smile forming on his face.

'There is no struggle between the Jedi and the Sith on this planet! There is no one to tell me what I may or may not do with my power! There are no longer rules! I am truly free from it all!' But now, a question popped up. What could he do with this freedom?

He put his shirt on. He decided that he should now find out more about this planet, or, at least, more about the people who had found him. He clipped his saber onto his belt, and decided against wearing his cloak. The people had already seen his face, and the rooms all had controllable temperature, so the cloak had no use at the moment.

He stepped out into the hallway, and was confronted by two men in dark suits. They didn't say anything for a moment, and neither did he. He attempted to walk down the hallway, but they immediately blocked his way.

"Move," said Maul.

"We've been ordered to make sure you do not leave the premises," said one of the men. "We cannot let you leave your room until we have clearance." Maul contemplated several things. Should his slice them in half, Force-slam them against the walls as hard as he could, or Perform the Death Pinch on them? He decided against all of these, and tried a nonlethal approach. He didn't want to make any trouble just yet.

"You have clearance," he said casually, making a harmless gesture with his hand.

"We do have clearance," said the other one. "Go on ahead." Maul nodded and walked past them. That proved it. Any planet who would use such weak-minded men to guard a Sith or even a Jedi certainly had no knowledge of the Force.

He walked down the hall, looking around and taking stock of everything. He then ran into Shinji. "O-oh," said Shinji. "S-sorry." He suddenly recognized him. "O-oh, hi."

"Hello," said Maul.

"I don't think we were properly introduced," said Shinji. "M-my name is Shinji." He held out his hand. Maul noticed it trembling slightly. For a moment, he was unsure of what to do. He looked at Shinji's hand, and then at Shinji, and then back at Shinji's hand. 'Oh,' he thought. 'This must be the "handshake" that I have heard of.'

"Maul," he said, shaking Shinji's hand slowly. Shinji looked into Maul's penetrating yellow eyes, and Maul looked into his confused blue ones.

"N-nice to meet you," said Shinji, letting go of Maul's hand. "I-I have to go, s-sorry." Maul watched the boy go.

'Hmm,' he thought. 'He is very timid. I also sense that he is very conflicted. Nothing that can't be worked through.' Maul also took note of how distracted Shinji had seemed. He continued down the hall. He soon ran into the elder Ikari. Rei was right behind him, looking somewhat disappointed. Or was it annoyed? Both perhaps?

"You," said Gendo, looking at Maul, "What are you doing out of your room?"

"I had clearance to leave," Maul smirked.

"No you did not," said Gendo. "Only I can give that authority. What did you do to the Section 2 Agents I placed outside your door?"

"They are alive and unharmed," said Maul. Gendo could tell that he wasn't going to get a straight answer out of him. He decided to take control of the situation.

"Regardless," he said, "It's just as well that you are here. Come with me." He turned around and started heading down the hallway.

"Why?" asked Maul. Gendo stopped.

"We need to find out how you defeated the Angel," he said. "We are going to be running some tests. Now, follow me." Maul decided to follow. Whatever this man had come up with, it promised to be amusing.

888

Shinji sat down at the kitchen table in the apartment. His mind was racing. Rei loved him? She had almost sacrificed her life for him? What do you say to someone after they tell you that? Do you tell them you love them back? Did he love her back?

"Shinji?" said a voice, breaking his chain of thought. "Are you home?" Misato walked into the kitchen. "Shinji!" she exclaimed, rushing over and hugging him. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to see you after the battle yesterday. Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he said. "I'm fine."

"Why do you look so glum then?" the purple-haired woman asked, standing up straight. Shinji looked up at her. She was still getting over Kaji's death. Would helping him take her mind off of it? Is that why she was asking, or was she genuinely concerned?

"It's Rei," he said. "She-"

"Is she alright?" Misato asked.

"Yeah," said Shinji.

"Good," said Misato. She sat down. "I'm glad she's alright. And I'm glad you're alright too, Shinji. I don't think I could handle it if I were to lose either of you two, or Asuka." Shinji was silent for a moment. "Now, what were you going to say about Rei?"

"She-" began Shinji, "She told me something today."

"What?"

"She... She said that she loved me." Misato's eyes widened in surprise. "And I didn't know how to answer. My dad walked in and I had to leave. I didn't answer her then, but I know I'll have to some time."

"Well," said Misato, "How do you feel about her?"

"I-I don't know," said Shinji. "I-I guess I have feelings for her, but..." He trailed off.

"...It's Asuka isn't it?" asked Misato.

"How did you-?"

"I know you really well by now Shinji," she said. "You have feelings for Rei, and Asuka too, and you don't know what to do."

"Exactly," said Shinji. "What can I do?" Misato was silent for a moment.

"Shinji," she said, "I can't tell you what you need to do. I can only tell you what I know. You can't hesitate in something like this. You have to follow your heart. You have to act before it's too late. Rei loves you, and you know that. You say you have feelings for both her and Asuka. You'll have to decide what to do. But don't hesitate Shinji. Someday it may be too late." Shinji was quiet for a moment.

"...You're not just talking about me are you?" Tears began to well up in Misato's eyes. She fell forward onto Shinji's chest.

"I miss him so much," she said, crying. Shinji put his arms around her. "Why, Kaji? Why?"

888

Maul stood in a large room. It almost reminded him of the training courses his master used to put him through. Something of an obstacle course.

"What exactly do you want me to do?" asked Maul.

"Just get through the course," said Gendo.

'Shouldn't be too difficult,' thought Maul. A buzzer went off, and he started. The first thing he had to get past was a pit with some bars above it. Maul knew that the bars were meant to be taken one at a time, but that would be inefficient. Instead, he ran, he jumped to the center bar, swung forward, and jumped to the other side of the pit. He could've jumped the entire pit, but he decided to pace himself instead. He kept running, eventually reaching the next obstacle. It was a large, smooth wall, with a rope descending from the top.

Deciding not to waste time climbing the rope, he gave a tremendous leap and landed on the other side of the wall. He looked up, and saw guns. They didn't fire at him, but he could see a lot of infrared sensors. Clearly, the object was to make it through the wires using agility. He leapt between the first few beams, taking his saber from his belt as he did. He activated the blades and threw it towards the guns, controlling it with the Force as he did. He continued leaping through the beams. By the time he got through them all, he had also destroyed all the guns. He caught his saber and looked around. Not seeing another obstacle, he decided to ask, "What now?"

Gendo looked in amazement at Maul. He'd never seen anything like it. However, he had one last thing for him to do. He pressed a button, saying over the intercom, "The last thing you must do is destroy the target."

Below, an object emerged from a trapdoor in the ground, several yards away from Maul. It seemed to be a metal sculpture made in the shape of the Third Angel, Sachiel. Maul didn't know this of course, but it didn't matter. He suddenly felt a presence about the target. It was radiating an energy that both the Worm and the droids had given off. Not the one that made him uneasy, but an energy he recognized at this point. He threw his saber at it, but it suddenly bounced back at him! Maul caught it. The target had some kind of orange-yellow force field around it.

"That," said Gendo, seeing his look of puzzlement on one of the monitors, "Is an AT-Field. It protects the Angels from attacks."

"How am I supposed to attack it then?" asked Maul

"I don't know," said Gendo, baiting him. "Do what you did yesterday to the, what did you call it? The Worm, correct?"

"Hmm." Maul thought about it. It couldn't hurt to try. He ran forward. He reached the target, and cut it to pieces. The AT-Field generator, which had been attached to the object, deactivated. "Is that all?" asked Maul.

"Yes," said Gendo. "Thank you Maul." As Maul exited the course, Gendo sat in the control-room, thinking. The device attached to the AT-Field generator would be able to tell them what allowed Maul to go through it like that. He saw now that it wasn't his weapon, which itself was impressive in it's ability to cut through even solid metal with ease, but something about Maul himself which allowed him to bypass the Angels' At-Field.

Gendo also thought about how Maul had gotten through the course. What allowed him to jump the way he did? Was it an ability of his species, or did it have something to do with how he could bypass the AT-Field? And The way he controlled his weapon after he threw it was reminiscent of things he knew about telekinesis. He'd always thought it was a load of bull, but now he was starting to think otherwise.

Truly, Maul was a fascinating individual.

888

Rei, meanwhile, had been dismissed when Gendo and Maul had reached the course. She had changed out of her plug suit and gone back to her apartment. She wished that Gendo had not interrupted her moment with Shinji. She would have to wait to find out how he felt about her.

She suddenly had a terrible thought. 'He looked very uncertain after I told him,' she thought. 'What if he does not feel the same way about me? What if he cannot feel the same way about me?' She tried not to dwell on it, thinking to herself instead, 'I shall find out tomorrow.'

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Wow. That scene with Shinji and Misato was the most psychological thing I've ever done. Evangelion was always fairly psychological, but more so later in the series. Since it is now later in the series (I just had to start it there, huh?) I had to reflect that a bit. It's based on the so-called "hedgehog relationship" that Misato and Shinji have at this point. Shinji is unsure wether Misato's concern for him is genuine or not.

And I have to do something about Asuka. I need to get her out of her depression so that she can interact with Maul the way that Asuka interacts with everyone else. I refuse to be less vague! And I'm willing to take suggestions.

Stay tuned for the next episode of Apprentice!


	4. confessions

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or Evangelion. Just this story

Author's note: addendum to Ch.3's note- I'm going to work on this story some more instead. I should have the next chapter of Weapon X up today as well.

Without further ado, here we go!

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"Are you sure you're alright?" asked Shinji. He'd stayed up late with Misato, who'd cried most of the night. He had to make sure that she felt better.

"Yes," said Misato, smiling. "I'm fine, mother." Shinji smiled. Misato **must** be feeling better.

"Hey," he said in mock offense, "I'm just returning the favor."

"What?" asked Misato.

"You've been like a mother to me since you took me in," said Shinji. "Sure, you're a goof-ball sometimes but..." He stopped, seeing that Misato looked like she was about to cry again. "No wait, don't start crying again, I-" He was cut off as Misato hugged him.

"Thank you for that Shinji," she said, smiling. Shinji hugged her back. They hugged for a minute or two, before Misato finally broke off. "I have to get to work," she said. "The Commander wants me to look over the new guy."

"Maul?" asked Shinji.

"Yeah," she said. "He wants to have him ready to put in the field with you guys when the next Angel attacks."

"In an Eva?" asked Shinji.

"No," said Misato, biting her lip. "Apparently, he wants him to go into battle on foot. I know he beat that Angel the day before, but still... Well, I guess we'll see. Bye Shinji." Before she stepped out the door, she added, "And remember what I told you last night. Don't hesitate."

She walked out the door, leaving Shinji alone to think.

888

Maul sat in his room, meditating. He was reaching out with the Force, attempting to find the two Children. He sensed the blue-haired girl first. It seemed that she was completely alone wherever she was. She also seemed slightly anxious about something. Other than that, her emotions did not seem very prominent.

He searched for the boy next. He found him. He was still conflicted, but it seemed as if he was coming to a decision. He seemed very in touch with his emotions, especially fear, anxiety, and anger. He was about to start comparing the two in his mind, when he sensed a third. Whoever they were, they were in the same building as the boy.

Maul sensed depression from this new person, but also that the person was not usually like this. He would have to find out who this person was.

In fact, he felt he'd need to get to know all three of them.

888

The third person Maul had sensed sat in her room. Thoughts of what the Angel had reminded her of kept running through her mind. "Mother..." she said quietly. She heard a knock at her door.

"Asuka?" said Shinji.

"What do you want?" asked Asuka.

"May I come in?" he asked.

"No," she said. "Leave me alone." Part of her wanted him to come in, wanted someone to talk too. But some bit of her old pride remained, and didn't want any help.

"Alright," said Shinji. There was a pause. Then he said, "I-I'm going to leave for a bit. I made you something to eat for when you get hungry. It's in the refrigerator. Will you be alright?"

"Yes," grunted Asuka irritably. "If you're gonna go, go!"

"G-goodbye, then," said Shinji. She heard him walking down the hallway. She almost called for him to come back, but she didn't. She wanted to be left alone right now. Or did she? Somehow, though, the fact that he'd asked if she was alright made her feel a bit better.

888

Shinji stood in front of Rei's apartment building. He swallowed. Well, this was it. He was going to find out for sure how he felt. Like Misato said, no hesitation. He entered the building and made his way up to her room. He knocked on the door and waited.

Rei had been sitting on her bed, thinking. Shinji hadn't answered her yesterday. She wanted to know how he felt, but didn't know what to do. She found herself thinking the same negative thoughts as the day before. 'Maybe he cannot love me back. Maybe he-' Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door.

"Rei," asked Shinji from the other side of the door, "Are you home? May I come in?"

"Yes," said Rei. Shinji opened the door and stepped in.

"Rei?" he said, somewhat uncertainly. "Did you mean what you said yesterday?" It was a stupid question, and he knew it. Rei had always been pretty straightforward, for as long as he'd known her. He only asked because he didn't know what to say.

"Yes," she said. "I meant exactly what I said." Shinji thought for a moment, then walked over and sat down next to her on the bed.

"..." Shinji said nothing for a moment. He couldn't think of the right words. He finally said, "Rei, do you remember when we battled the Fifth Angel, and at the end of it all you smiled?"

"Yes," said Rei, remembering the day. The memory of Shinji's actions that day only served to strengthen her feelings for him. "That was the first time I can remember smiling."

"Really?" asked Shinji. He then remembered something Misato had said to him. 'No one's ever seen her smile.' The first time she had smiled... had been for him? He started thinking about everything he'd been through that involved Rei. He had feelings for her, but could he love her? What about Asuka?

He compared the two in his mind. Asuka had always been pretty mean to him. There had been a few instances of kindness from her, like the time he'd saved her from the volcano after her battle with the Eighth Angel. However, those rare moments of kindness were few and far between. Rei on the other hand was a different story.

She'd never been mean to him. Sure she'd slapped him once after he'd said something negative about his father, but that was once. She'd always been nice to him, in her own way. And beyond that, she did actually say that she loved him. That was something he could never hope to hear from Asuka.

"Shinji?" asked Rei, causing him to remember where he was. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Rei," he said, steeling himself for what he was going to do next. He turned and looked into her mysterious red eyes. "I... I think I love you too." Without warning, he leaned forward and kissed her.

Rei's eyes widened in surprise at first, but only for a moment. Her eyes slowly closed, and she thought to herself, 'This feels nice.'

888

Maul had been deep in thought, still meditating when Shinji reached Rei's apartment building. Suddenly, there was a knock at his door. He was surprised. He'd been so deep in concentration that he hadn't sensed anyone approaching his room.

"Maul," said Gendo's voice from the other side of the door.

"What?" asked Maul, somewhat irritated that the man had interrupted his thoughts.

"There is someone I would like you to meet out here," said Gendo.

"Fine," said Maul, standing up. He came out of his room, and saw Gendo standing next to a purple-haired woman.

Misato's eyes widened in surprise when she saw him. She hadn't expected the tatoos.

"Who is this?" asked Maul.

"This," said Gendo, "Is Misato Katsuragi. She is in charge of our field operations against the Angels. You will be under her command should we face another Angel."

"Hold on," said Misato, "Time out! You're planning on sending this guy out against an Angel without an Eva? He's gotta be only fifteen or sixteen! I know he beat that last Angel, but-"

"What is an Eva?" asked Maul. Misato looked at him strangely.

"You don't know?" she asked. She looked at Gendo. "Did you tell him anything?" She looked back at Maul. "The Eva's are the only weapons we have capable of defeating the Angels. You saw two yesterday, Unit 0 and Unit 1." Maul thought for a moment.

"You mean those two giant droids?" he asked.

"Sure," said Misato. "Whatever you want to call them." She looked back at Gendo. "You're serious about sending him out against an Angel without an Eva."

"Yes," said Gendo. "And I am sure you will be more confident in his abilities shortly. Follow me." He started walking down the hallway. "You too Maul." Maul followed, mostly out of curiosity. Maybe Misato could tell him more about this place.

Gendo led them to the room where he'd monitored Maul's progress through the obstacle course. He typed a few things, and brought something up on a large screen. It was a tape of Maul getting through the course. By the end of the tape, Misato was amazed. She'd never seen anyone move like that.

"As you can see," said Gendo, "He seems perfectly able to take care of himself against an Angel. He did so two days ago, and proved his skill further yesterday." Gendo was silent for a moment, contemplating something. Maul took the opportunity to ask something.

"Where are those two children?" he asked. "Shinji and Rei?"

"Huh?" said Misato. "Why do you ask?"

"Are they the only two?"

"No," said Misato, slightly annoyed that he totally blew off her question, "There's also Asuka. Why do you ask?"

"Who is Asuka?"

"She's our third pilot," said Misato. "She wasn't in battle the other day. She hasn't been feeling to good lately."

'She must be the one who I sensed today, the one who is depressed.'

"But why are you asking?" asked Misato.

"I simply wanted to know," said Maul. Misato was about to ask something else, when Maul said, "And you are the one that Shinji was talking to this morning, yes?" Misato was confused. How did he know that?

"How did you-?"

"Don't bother asking," said Gendo, cutting her off. "You won't get a straight answer out of him. This is not the first thing he's done that he would not explain."

"Oh really?" said Misato, shock turning into annoyance once more. "An insolent kid huh? You'd best learn early on, Maul, that I don't tolerate behavior like that. Got it?" Maul was surprised. No one had ever talked to him that way. Ever. He decided to change the subject.

"Gendo," he said, surprising both Misato and Gendo with him using his first name, "I would like to leave."

"What do you mean?" asked Gendo.

"I do not like having to spend all my time here," said Maul. "I'd like somewhere else to stay." Gendo was silent for a moment.

"You won't have to worry about spending all day here after tomorrow," he said. "I have arranged for you to attend school in the city. You will be placed in the same class as the pilots, and will be closely watched."

"School?" asked Maul.

888

Shinji and Rei were laying down on her bed. Shinji had his arms around her, and she had her head on his chest. She smiled. Shinji loved her back! She couldn't remember ever being this happy before. She had wanted to become one with Shinji, but he had insisted that they wait. She would wait. The knowledge that Shinji loved her was good enough.

"Shinji-kun?" she said, looking up at him.

"Yes Rei-chan?"

"We cannot let the Commander know about this," she said. "I do not think he would allow us to be together." Shinji's face went from happy to somewhat angry.

"You're right," he said. "He probably wouldn't want us together. He'd probably think it would get in the way of our piloting." Rei lifted her head up and kissed him, and his dark mood vanished immediately.

"We will simply act as if there is nothing going on between us when we are at NERV," said Rei, "And the Commander will be left none the wiser."

"I'm glad I fell in love with a smart girl," said Shinji, causing Rei to smile. "But do we let the people at school know?"

"It should not matter if they know or not," said Rei. "I know that many of them suspected we liked each other long before now. Suzuhara told me so himself."

"Yeah," said Shinji, "He was always teasing me and saying stuff like that."

"Well," said Rei, "He was right."

"Yep," said Shinji, "I guess so."

888

Asuka left her room and went to the kitchen. She opened up the refrigerator and found the lunch Shinji had fixed for her. She warmed it up in the microwave, and then sat down to eat. She sat in silence for a while. She finished, then sat down at the table and brooded some more.

Pen Pen opened the door to his refrigerator and stepped out. He saw Asuka sitting at the table, looking glum. He waddled over and sat down next to her. Asuka slowly turned and looked at him.

"What do you want?" she asked. Pen Pen just blinked. Asuka sighed. "This might sound crazy, but I think you're the only one I can talk to right now." She started telling Pen Pen how she felt. She told him about her battle with the Fifteenth Angel, and how it had made her relive those awful memories. Pen Pen actually nodded sympathetically and patted her arm with a flipper.

Strangely enough, the gesture helped Asuka. She suddenly felt better. "So what do you think I should do?" she asked.

"Sqwuak," said Pen Pen. Asuka smiled.

"You're right," she said, "I should stop moping! I need to get on with my life! Thanks Pen Pen!" She hugged the penguin, who blushed furiously as she squashed him against her chest. She stood up, proclaiming, "Look out world! Asuka Langley Soryu is back!"

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Good old Pen Pen! I needed something to help Asuka out of her depression, and the trusty penguin provided the answer. Sometimes, we just need to vent, you know? If you've ever had an emotional breakdown, talking about it really helps.

Oh, and here's an addendum to the addendum in the author's note at the beginning of this chapter: I'll be getting the next Ch. of Weapon X up sometime this coming week. I'm really into this story at the moment, so I'm going to be working on it more.

and for those who don't know what addendum means, here you are: addendum- an addition, attachment, or supplement, used to correct errors/explain inconsistencies/ update information or detail on something.

Oh, and I hope Asuka was in character. This was the first time I've actually written for her, so I tried my best. It's not easy when she starts out depressed!

Stay tuned for the next chapter of Apprentice, and, as always, thank you for your reviews and support!


	5. introductions

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or Evangelion. Just this story

Author's note: One day left to write! Yes, tomorrow I start on the homework I've neglected to do this Spring Break. I'll write as soon as I get the chance, but this almost daily posting of chapters probably won't be happening. Oh well, I'd best do what I can while I can, right? On with the show!

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Shinji sat down on the couch, running yesterday's events through his mind again. He smiled. He was going to go see Rei again today. And as long as they kept it hidden from his father, everything was going to be just fine.

"Hey Baka," said an all too familiar voice. "Where's breakfast?"

"Oh, sorry Asuka," said Shinji, snapping out of his thoughts, "I'll get right on..." He looked at Asuka. "Um, Asuka? Are you feeling better?"

"Never better!" she said, smiling.

"Oh good," said Shinji, getting up. He started to make breakfast. He made them each a plate of eggs and bacon, making a third for Misato. He was about to ask her what had happened to get her back to normal, when Misato entered the kitchen.

"Good morning you two," she said, sitting down. "Feeling better Asuka?"

"Yep," said Asuka, taking a bite out of a strip of bacon.

"Good," said Misato. "Hurry up and finish your breakfast you two, we have to get to NERV."

"Huh?" asked Shinji. "Why?"

"Because," said Misato, taking a bite out of her egg. "You need to get to know your new team-mate."

"New team-mate?" asked Asuka. "Who are you talking about?"

888

Maul sat in his room, deep in thought as usual. Gendo had planned for the pilots to meet him today. He said that he wanted them to get to know each other so that Maul would have someone to help him come school the next day. Although Maul praised his luck at being able to get to know the three Children, he was less than pleased by the prospect of School. He supposed that it would teach him more about the planet, but he had gathered that it involved a lot of sitting and doing nothing.

And then there would be the reactions. It would be hard to focus if he knew everyone in the area would be staring at him. He almost cursed his Sith tatoos. In any other situation they would have been fine, but he knew that the people of this planet did not usually see people with as many tatoos as he had.

He reached out with the Force again, trying to sense the three. He could sense Rei drawing nearer to NERV. He sensed that her anxiety was gone, and that she seemed to be feeling no emotions. She was either very good at suppressing them, or just totally emotionless. He sensed Shinji as well, also coming towards NERV. His conflicted state seemed to be gone, and he seemed happy for the moment.

He also sensed the third one, Asuka if he remembered correctly. She was with Shinji. Strangely enough, she was no longer depressed. He sensed that the girl had a very fiery spirit. Hmm... He also sensed that she was prone to anger. This should be interesting.

888

Although Maul hadn't sensed it, Rei was very unhappy. She had wanted to spend more time with Shinji today, true, but not at NERV. They would not be able to do anything without being seen by NERV personnel.

However, she was curious about the person she was supposed to be meeting. According to Shinji, this was the person who had defeated the Sixteenth Angel. What kind of person could do that without an Eva?

Rei was the first one to NERV. She was led to a room, and told to wait for the others. They showed up in a few minutes. Rei hid how happy she was to see Shinji, but she knew that he knew that they had to. She was mildly surprised to see Asuka back to her old self. She knew that she had suffered after the battle with the Fifteenth, and that she had become reclusive. But there she was, back to normal and looking irritated.

"So where is this guy?" she asked. "And what's the big deal anyway? Won't they just be sending him to school with us tomorrow? Why can't we meet him then?"

"Well," said Shinji, coming up with an answer. "It might be better if we all got to know him first. He's a bit... different."

"Yeah," said Misato, "He's not exactly from around here either. So he may need some help getting used to how people around here interact with each other."

"What is he?" asked Asuka. "A recluse or something?" She looked at Rei. "Bet you two will get along great then." Before Rei could say anything, and before he could stop himself, Shinji spoke out in her defense.

"Don't talk to her like that," said Shinji. "You need to be nicer to her, Asuka. And he's not a recluse, as far as I've seen. He's just a bit... different." Asuka was surprised, both by Shinji's defense of Rei and his apparent knowledge concerning the new guy. She said nothing for a moment. No one noticed Rei's small smile to Shinji either, except Shinji of course.

Any further conversation that might have followed was cut short as Gendo entered the room. Behind him was a figure in a black cloak. The hood of the cloak was up, and the Children couldn't see the figure's face.

"Good," said Gendo, "You're all here on time. This-" he pointed to the figure behind him, "Is to be your team-mate and classmate from now on. You will be spending the day with him, getting to know him. That is all." He made to step out of the room.

"Wait," said Asuka. "Are we going to be spending the whole day here, or are we gonna actually get to go out and do stuff in town."

"I leave that entirely up to your discretion," he said. "If you leave, however, there will be a small number of Section 2 Agents following you at all times."

"Why?" asked Asuka.

"Ask him," said Gendo, pointing to the figure. Gendo left, as did Misato, leaving the three Children alone with the figure.

"So," said Asuka, "You're the new guy, huh?" The figure nodded his head. "You can take off the cloak you know. We're not gonna bite." The figure actually laughed. Asuka raised an eyebrow. He had a slightly deeper voice than she'd expected.

"I'm only wearing the hood because everyone else whose seen me so far has had an... interesting reaction," he said. "But if we want to get to know each other, I suppose I'll have to lower the hood." He reached up slowly And pulled his hood down. Asuka gasped quietly, and Rei's eyes widened ever so slightly. Shinji had already seen him, so wasn't as surprised. "My name, is Darth Maul. Nice to meet you."

Asuka quickly regained her composure. "Maul huh?" she said. "What's with the tatoos?"

"Asuka!" exclaimed Shinji. "Don't be rude! Don't ask him questions like that, especially if you haven't even introduced yourself!"

"Fine," said the red-head. "My name is Asuka Langley Soryu. Nice to meet you Maul. Now, what's with the tatoos." Shinji sweatdropped. That's not exactly what he'd meant.

"Long story," he said, "I'll tell you later." He turned to the boy. "Hello again Shinji."

"How are you Maul?" asked Shinji.

"Fine," he said. He turned to Rei. "And you are?"

"Rei Ayanami," she said. "It is nice to meet you. I was told that you were the one who defeated the Angel the other day."

"Ah, yes," said Maul, "The Worm. Everyone seems to be making a big deal about that."

"Well duh!" exclaimed Asuka. "Beating an Angel is a big deal! Although I doubt you did it like they've been saying. It's impossible to take down an Angel without an Eva."

"You think so?" said Maul.

"It's true Asuka," said Shinji. "I saw him. It was like nothing I'd ever seen." Asuka still had a look on her face that said, 'Prove it.' And Maul seemed to be getting better at reading expressions.

"You really want me to prove it, don't you?" he asked, as if challenging her challenge.

"Guys, guys!" said Shinji, coming between the two. "Come on! We're supposed to be getting to know each other, not arguing!"

"He is right," said Rei. "This is not conducive to us learning about each other. Not in a positive way, at least."

"Well," said Asuka, "Maybe if we all went out and did something instead of sitting in this room." She suddenly had a thought. "Wait, what was the Commander talking about when he said that you'd know why there would be Section 2 agents tailing us if we left." Maul smirked at this.

"I've got a reputation for not following Gendo's commands the way he wants me to," said Maul. "And I don't think he trusts me." He let them digest that information for a bit.

"Whatever," said Asuka finally. "Let's just go and do something."

"What do you want to do?" asked Shinji.

"Hmmm," she said, thinking. "How about we go bowling!"

888

Maul tried to ignore all of the stares he was getting. He wanted to destroy at least half of the people in this 'bowling-alley,' but knew that said action would be most unwise. They hadn't started bowling yet, and he still didn't know what it was. However, it wasn't him who finally asked what it was.

"Shinji?" asked Rei.

"Yes Rei?"

"What exactly is bowling?"

"You're kidding right?" asked Asuka.

"No," said Rei. "I am not kidding. I have never been bowling before."

"You really need to get out more," said Asuka. Shinji glared at Asuka for a moment, then turned back to Rei.

"I'll explain what bowling is, and Asuka you set up, okay?"

"Whatever," said Asuka. She started setting up, while Rei and Maul listened to his explanation. After he was done, Maul had a question.

"What exactly is the point of this activity?" asked Maul.

"What do you mean?" asked Shinji.

"What is the point of this activity?" Maul asked again. "What do we gain by doing this?"

"It's just for fun," answered Shinji. "There is no real point other than having a good time." Maul looked at him blankly. "You... You do know what fun is, don't you?"

"I am aware of the definition," he said, "But I have never had anything that fits the description. I was taught that 'fun' was merely a waste of time. My Master kept me strictly to my training."

"What are you talking about?" asked Asuka. "What's all this about training and your 'Master'?" Maul looked down for a moment before speaking.

"Remember when I said that the story behind my tatoos was a long one? Well, the two are one and the same."

"Sounds like you've lived a rough life," said Shinji. "Then again, none of us has had that easy of a life either." Rei nodded in agreement. Although Maul had been very vague, she knew what he was talking about. She too had lived a life were such things as 'fun' were foreign to her. Even Asuka almost felt sympathy for him. Well, she felt like being a teensy bit less harsh towards him for the moment any way.

888

After the first full game, Asuka was fuming. "How do two people who've never bowled before get perfect scores!?" she exclaimed. It was true. Both Rei and Maul had ended up with perfect scores.

"Well," said Shinji, "Maybe they just have some natural talent." He actually wanted to say that he thought Rei was good at anything she put her mind to, but with Section 2 Agents around somewhere he knew he'd have to watch what he said. Couldn't let his father have any reason to be suspicious.

Maul, unlike Rei who bore Asuka's fuming quietly, was smirking. He enjoyed seeing the red-headed girl get worked up over such minor things. It was entertaining.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked, rounding on him.

"You," said Maul, quite bluntly. Asuka glared at him.

"So," said Shinji, trying to break the tension, "Maul, how do you feel about going to school tomorrow?"

"I'm unsure," said Maul. "As I'm sure you've noticed, every human I come into contact with feels the need to stare at me." As he said this, several people in the bowling-alley looked away. He was speaking quite clearly and was making no attempt to keep what he was saying private. "I am not thrilled at the idea of having to spend an entire day with that many people, all of whom will be staring at me and clouding my thoughts."

"Wait, wait, wait," said Asuka, putting up a hand. "What do you mean 'humans'? Are you trying to say you're not?"

"Yes," said Maul. "You can ask that doctor if you want. I am not a human. I am an Iridonian Zabrak. We are human-like, except for our skin color and horns."

"Horns?" said Asuka skeptically. "You don't have any horns."

"I know that!" spat Maul. "I used to though! I also used to be older than this! I don't know what happened to me when I appeared in this world, but I lost my horns and became younger." They sat in silence for a while. An awkward moment, but Maul used it to reflect on what he'd learned about the three. Asuka was an individual very prone to anger. Shinji was the basic peacekeeper, attempting to stop conflicts. He could sense anger and fear in him at times, but he hadn't outwardly shown any in their time together. And Rei was still a mystery. She had kept herself totally emotionless. the entire time. Which of them would be the best choice?

After a while, Shinji finally broke the silence. "Well," he said, "Is there anything else you'd like to do?

"Maybe we should find somewhere to get lunch?" suggested Rei.

"Good idea," said Shinji.

888

Maul looked curiously at the food in front of him. "What exactly is Ramen?" he asked.

"It's soup," said Shinji. "Have you ever had soup before?"

"I do not think so," said Maul. He picked up the eating utensils. Shinji had called them chopsticks. He tried figuring out how to use them. He watched Shinji, Rei, and Asuka using them before attempting to do so himself. After a few failed attempts (to which Asuka smirked) he started to get the hang of it. The 'Ramen' was good. In fact, it was one of the few meals Maul could remember enjoying.

"So," said Shinji, once again trying to connect with their new team-mate, "How do you like it?"

"It is good," said Maul. He sensed that there was another question Shinji wanted to ask.

"Um, Maul?" he asked. "The other day... How did you do it?"

"Do what?" he asked.

"Well," said Shinji. "You ran up Unit 0, threw your weapon at the Angel, landed, and then caught your weapon. How did you survive a fall like that with no injury?"

"With the Force," said Maul.

"What is the Force?" asked Asuka. Maul thought about it. How could he accurately explain it?

"The Force," he said, "Is something that is everywhere, but only some can utilize. With the Force, I can do things like throw my lightsaber and guide it, and survive large falls. I can also do things-" his bowl of Ramen began to float in front of him "-such as this."

"Wow," said Shinji. "Cool."

"That is very interesting," said Rei.

"Neat," said Asuka. "What else can you do with the Force?"

"Many things," said Maul. "The Force has a variety of potential uses. However, as I said, only some can use it." 'And each of you can,' he added mentally.

"Can you learn to use it?" asked Shinji. "If you have the ability I mean?"

"Yes," said Maul. "In fact, where I come from, there were two groups of Force users known as Jedi and Sith."

"I just remembered something," said Asuka. "When you introduced yourself, you called yourself 'Darth Maul'. But 'Darth' sounded more like a title than a name. Does that have something to do with this Jedi Sith thing?"

"Yes," said Maul. "'Darth' is a title used by the Sith, those who use the Dark Side of the Force." This statement caused some eyebrow raising. Dark Side didn't exactly sound like a good thing.

"Dark Side?" asked Shinji.

"Yes," said Maul. "The Dark Side. Sith gain extraordinary power through the Dark Side, while Jedi refuse to use it. They often call the Dark side the easy way to power, but they don't understand. It is not easy. Especially not when we are put through the things we are put through." Another awkward moment of silence followed.

"Well," said Asuka, "As long as you don't try to kill any one, we should be fine." Maul only half heard her. He was remembering something. A time back before Sidious. When he was training under-

"Hello," said Asuka, getting right up in his face. "Did you hear us? We're going now."

"Oh," said Maul snapping back to reality. "Alright then."

888

Spending the day together had definitely helped them get to know him. They still didn't know much about his past, but he'd given them enough to think about with the vague hints he'd dropped.

Shinji felt sorry for him in a way. His life must have been just as rough as theirs, and now he was on a strange planet far from his home. Rei felt sorry for him, as she knew where he was coming from in a way. Commander Ikari did things that were similar to what Maul had hinted at his master doing to him. And Asuka kinda felt sorry for him for his rough sounding life. But she and Maul had been butting heads most of the day, so she felt more infuriated with him than bad for him.

Maul on the other hand had learned a great deal about the three of them. He know had a fairly clear picture of their emotional states. But which could he choose? They all seemed like good candidates. They each had a flaw or two of course: Rei was a little too emotionless, Shinji seemed a little too peaceable, and Asuka seemed most likely to continue with the Sith Rule of Two.

Still, he reminded himself, he didn't necessarily have to follow all of the Sith rules. He could follow some Jedi rules if he wanted, not that he'd want to. Yes, he had a great deal of thinking to do.

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Well! A day full of bonding and most likely OOCness. Like I said, I know there's more to Maul than meets the eye. And he seems fairly mild, but that's because he knows that the smart thing to do is to not start killing people. He's not an idiot, after all. He just didn't talk much in the movie.

Tomorrow, he faces... school! The reactions should be oh so much fun! I'll have that up as soon as possible. See ya!


	6. school

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or Evangelion. Just this story

Author's note: Time for school! That's for both me, and Maul! Oh goody.

Anyway, I looked up some more info on Maul and found something very interesting about his past. I plan to use it in the story, so yeah. On with the show!

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"He is such a good boy," said the old man, "And such a quick learner. He knew the Jedi Code nearly by heart before he could walk, and he was talking before he could walk too." The old man placed a hand on the young Iridonian's red head. The young Zabrak was nowhere near old enough to have horns yet. He smiled, closing his orange eyes and showing a set of nice clean teeth. He still had a few gaps where the teeth had not grown in yet, but one could not expect many teeth for a boy as young as that. "He shows so much potential. I hope he can be my Padawan some day."

"He does show marvelous potential," said another man, a bit younger than the old Jedi. "Marvelous potential. Unfortunately, he shall not be a Jedi!" A beam of red light appeared.

"Run youngling!" cried the old man, as the slightly younger man ran him through.

"Uaahh!" exclaimed Maul, shooting straight up in bed. 'A dream?' he thought, holding his head. 'What was that? It felt so real... The old man called me Padawan, so he must have been a Jedi... What was I doing with a Jedi? He seemed so... familiar...' Maul shook his head, calmed his breathing and looked at the clock. No time to dwell on it now. He had to get ready for... School.

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Shinji headed to school early. About an hour early, in fact. He said it was because he had some late work he needed to turn in. Of course, he wasn't going to be headed to school right away. He had a side trip to make.

"I guess that Section 2 will be at school, huh?" said Shinji, now walking with Rei. They were holding hands.

"Yes," said Rei. "As long as Commander Ikari does not deem him trustworthy, Maul shall be monitored."

"And I'm gonna guess he'll be having us watched once we get there too," said Shinji, somewhat upset by the whole business.

"Yes," said Rei, laying her head on his shoulder. "So we cannot give them anything other than what they expect to see."

"Well," said Shinji, a smile playing across his face, "Luckily enough for me, I usually spend a good portion of the day looking over at you anyway." Rei smiled, and there was a slight tinge of pink in her cheeks.

"I am glad that you enjoy looking at me Shinji-kun," she said, somewhat playfully. "Because you will have to do so in order to maintain a normal appearance." They took their time getting to school, drawing out the walk as long as possible.

They reached school early enough that they weren't seen by anyone in their class as they shared a quick kiss and then parted ways. They did so just in time, as Asuka arrived just a few seconds later.

"Hey Baka," she said. "You get whatever work you were supposed to do turned in?"

"What wor- Er, I mean yes!" said Shinji. Asuka raised an eyebrow. She didn't say anything though. 'Nice one,' thought Shinji as he walked up to class. 'I almost blew it.' Shinji entered the class (after taking note of a man in a black suit standing close to the door) and found that just about everyone was there. He also noticed a figure in a black cloak sitting in the back. No one else had seemed to notice him yet. Shinji also noticed another man in a black suit sitting in the corner of the class.

Maul sat in the back of the class, glaring at the whole room. If he could, he'd be out of here in a second or faster. But, as it was, he was stuck here. He knew there were at least two Section 2 Agents- one inside the class and one outside by the door- and that they both had guns. Maul silently cursed the guns. If he tried anything, he would be shot. Even if he tried to take the guns away with the Force, they still had a good chance of shooting him. He hadn't even been allowed to bring his weapon. He only agreed because there was still the threat of being shot. Yes, he was stuck.

He hadn't been noticed yet because of how still and silent he'd been, which was nice, but he knew that it could only last for so long. A person in a black cloak would stand out in a class full of people wearing white shirts and green skirts/black pants. It was only a matter of time.

The teacher, who had finished writing something up on the chalkboard, looked at the attendance sheet. He seemed to take no notice of the Section 2 Agent in the class (having been told that his class was being observed for the day).

"Hmm," said the old man, "It seems we have a new student." He looked up at the class, and saw Maul in the back. "Akane Akuza, Maul?" As everyone turned around to see the new kid, Maul raised his hand slowly. "Ah," said the teacher, marking the sheet to show that he was present. He looked back at Maul. "Please introduce yourself to the class Maul." Maul stood up slowly. His hood was positioned so that no one could see his face.

"Hello," said Maul, his deeper-than-a-fourteen-year-old's voice catching some of the kids off guard. He started to sit back down, when the teacher stopped him.

"I'm going to have to ask you to take off that, er, jacket young man," said the teacher. "I'm sure we'd all like to see your face." Maul hesitated.

"Must I?" he asked. The teacher (and the Section 2 Agent whom only Maul saw do so) nodded. Maul sighed and slowly took off his cloak. Everyone gasped when they saw his face. It was completely covered in red and black, and his irises were yellow, outlined in red. His arms too were red and black.

"Yo," said a boy, "Is that face-paint?"

"Is it?" asked the teacher. "Painting one's face completely is against school rules I'm afraid."

"It's not paint," said Maul. "It's tatoo."

"Really?" asked a brown haired girl next to Asuka.

"I highly doubt that," said the boy who'd spoken earlier.

"It's true Toji," said Shinji, speaking up.

"Sure," said Toji, "And he's not wearing colored contacts either, right?" Shinji shook his head no.

"The tatoos are on my arms too in case you haven't noticed," said Maul, glaring.

"So what are ya?" asked Toji, jokingly "Tattooed from head to toe?"

"Yes," said Maul.

"Boys!" exclaimed the teacher, "That is quite enough! If you all want to ask Maul questions, please wait until lunch!" The teacher had seemed to lose interest after finding out that Maul was not covered in face paint. Tatoos weren't against school rules. He started his daily lecture on the world before, during, and after the Second Impact.

Maul took diligent notes. This was the first chance he'd had to learn about the planet in detail. Knowing that he was now stuck here, finding out about the planet he'd have to call "home" was a good idea.

Lunch time eventually rolled around, and everyone pulled out their meals. NERV had prepared Maul a lunch, and he pulled it out as well. Shinji came over to sit by him.

"So," he asked, "How has your first day been so far?"

"Somewhat annoying at first," said Maul. "Everyone staring at me, that boy, Toji, doubting my words."

"Sorry about that," said Shinji. "Toji's always been that way, really in your face, you know? He punched me the day I met him. Knocked me over."

"He attacked you?" asked Maul. "And yet you are defending him?"

"Well, yeah," said Shinji. "He punched me because during my fight with the Third Angel, I sorta caused his sister to get hurt. But, we're best friends now."

"Friends?" asked Maul. He wasn't confused about the definition this time. He knew what the word friends meant, though he'd never really had any.

"Yeah," said Shinji. "He saw what I went through when I piloted the Eva, and he felt bad about punching me. We've been friends ever since." Maul thought about this. He didn't think he'd ever encountered such a strange situation. "And besides," said Shinji, "He got hurt piloting an Eva too."

"He piloted an Eva?"

"Yeah," said Shinji. "Unit 3. It got possessed by the Thirteenth Angel, and..." Shinji paused. He still felt guilty about it. "...And Unit 1 defeated Unit 3. I didn't know Toji was inside until afterwards, and..." Shinji didn't speak any more. Maul looked back at Toji, to see if he could see any damage. The first thing he noticed was that he and the brown-haired girl who'd spoken earlier were eating lunch together and that both seemed to be enjoying each others company.

He couldn't sense what they were feeling, as the room was full of teenagers and their raging hormones were making it difficult to single anything out. He pushed his confusion to the back of his mind and looked more carefully at Toji. He saw, to his surprise, that half of his left leg was missing! He must have missed it when the boy came in, due to being wrapped up in his own thoughts.

"So," said Maul, "Your battle caused him to lose half of his leg. And yet you are still companions?"

"Yeah," said Shinji.

"Hmm," said Maul, thinking. This friendship thing. How strange.

"By the way," said Shinji, "What was with your name? I thought you didn't have a last name."

"I do now," said Maul. "Gendo thought it was best that I have a full name. He thought it would make me stand out less. So he invented a middle and last name for me. I am now Maul Akane Akuza." After a few minutes of silence, Shinji spoke again.

"You know," said Shinji, "I think you're going to like our next class."

"Why?" asked Maul.

"It's PE," he said.

"PE?"

"Physical Education," explained Shinji. "You'll see when we get there."

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Maul stood in the locker room. He looked in the bag that NERV had provided him with. It had come with a spare set of clothes inside. He quickly changed into the other pair of pants, only to find, to his chagrin, that it was a pair of shorts. He didn't like shorts, especially since they showed more of his tatoos, giving people more incentive to stare at him. He took off his shirt and looked for the gym shirt he was supposed to have been given. After a minute, he discovered it was not there.

"Idiots," said Maul, standing up. The other guys looked at him.

"Whoa," said Toji. He just wasn't talking about the tatoos.

"That guy's cut!" exclaimed another guy.

"He aint just cut, Kensuke," said Toji. "He is ripped!" Without a shirt, Maul's level of physical fitness was startlingly apparent.

"What's wrong Maul?" asked Shinji.

"Those morons at NERV didn't give me a gym shirt," said Maul. "And to make matters worse, the ridiculous uniform shirt is inefficient for much physical activity."

"It's no problem," said Shinji, digging in his locker and pulling out another shirt. "I have a few extras." He handed the shirt to Maul. Maul put it on.

"Thank you," he said. He actually surprised himself. He couldn't remember ever saying 'thank you' before to anyone. He had been taught that doing so was a sign of weakness.

"No problem," said Shinji, smiling. "That's what friends are for." Friends. There was that strange word again. Maul didn't dwell on it. Instead, he thought about the shirt. Shinji wore a slightly longer shirt than necessary so it was long enough for Maul, but it was a bit tight. It didn't do much to hide his muscles at all. He'd simply have to bring a shirt of his own tomorrow.

On the way outside, Shinji explained to Maul what they would be doing. They had to warm-up, run a few laps, and then participate in an activity Shinji called basketball. Maul had been confused at the word, so Shinji started explaining. He explained through the warm-up and finally finished when it came time to run.

"Alright," said the coach, looking at the guys. "Three laps around. Start." The boys took off. Some, like Shinji and Kensuke, took their time and jogged so they could talk. Some guys raced each other. But no matter how fast anyone ran, they couldn't keep up with Maul. Even Toji (who couldn't run, but still did all the exercises during PE that he was able to do) was impressed. He finished all three laps in no time, not showing any sign of physical strain.

Some of the girls who were swimming looked down as the guys ran. Toji was not the only one left in awe by Maul's performance. And his body! Tatoos or not, he was hot! Even Asuka couldn't helped but be impressed ('B-by his performance,' she thought to herself. 'Just his performance.'). Rei, however, was not looking at Maul. She was looking at Shinji, who looked back as often as he could. And Hikari was looking at Toji, who was looking back at her and smiling. Losing a leg hadn't changed him a bit. Toji was still Toji.

Maul observed Shinji while he ran. He was taking his time, talking to Kensuke. He kept looking up, so Maul followed his gaze. He saw where the girls were swimming finally, not having noticed before. He could see Rei sitting there by the fence, looking back down towards where the boys were. She appeared to be looking at Shinji. Maul could faintly pick up something between the two, but it was hard to detect with all of the other feelings in the area. He sensed something which he guessed must be friendship between the two. Of course, it was hard to tell one feeling from another with all of these people around.

When everyone finished their laps, the coach had them pick teams for basketball. The guys divided into two teams of four, some of them sitting out. Maul sat out himself, wanting to see how the game was played before he tried. He was a quick learner. When the first game was done, some of the guys switched out. Maul walked up to the court. He gestured to Shinji, who went to join him.

"Shinji," he said, "I want to make this more interesting. How about you and me against those five?" He pointed to the guys on the other end of the court.

"I don't know Maul," said Shinji. "Five against two, and you've never even played before?" He paused for a second. "You're not thinking about using the Force are you?"

"...No," said Maul. "I can beat anyone of them without using the Force."

"Then we should really get someone else on our team," said Shinji. He turned around. "Hey Kensuke! Get over here!" Kensuke came running up. "You're on our team."

"Fine," said Maul.

"Alright," said Kensuke. "I warn you though, I'm not that great."

"You won't have to be," said Maul. "Just be able to pass the ball." Kensuke nodded.

Shinji, Maul, and Kensuke stood in front of the other five guys. Everyone else, including the coach and the girls, stopped to watch the game. It was the first time anyone had challenged someone to a five-on-three game, and the first time that anyone would see the new guy in action.

"Remember," whispered Shinji, "You can't hit anybody, or you get penalized."

"...Fine," he whispered back. The couch threw the ball up in the air, and the game began. Maul grabbed the ball instantly, and started heading down the court. Two guys went to block, and he passed it to Shinji. Shinji took the ball further, while Maul and Kensuke got into position. Shinji passed it to Kensuke, who no one on the other time had taken the trouble to cover, who just managed to catch it. The other team had all either been covering Maul or Shinji, so the move was a surprise.

As two guys rushed at the Otaku, Maul saw an opening. He ran, signaling to Kensuke. Kensuke passed him the ball. Maul took the shot and made it in. The people on the sidelines cheered. Maul saw that even Toji was cheering.

"Go new guy!" he called. "Alright Shinji and Kensuke! Yeah!"

The boys got back to center-court and the ball was thrown in again. Shinji caught it and started taking it down the court. He didn't make it far when he was forced to backtrack. He passed the ball to Maul, who took it down the court and took a shot. He then ran, jumped up, and caught the ball, dunking it as he did. The other team called a time out.

"We can't lose to these guys!" exclaimed the first guy. "It's just Ikari and Aida! C'mon! Get it together, guys! It's five to three!"

"But what about that new guy?" asked a second. "He's a beast!"

"He's just one guy," said a third. "It's not like he's a monster or anything."

"Yeah," said the fourth. "He'll tire out sooner or later."

"I dunno," said the fifth. "I saw him runnin'. He didn't even break a sweat!"

"So what?" asked the first. "We can take him. There aint nothin special about that guy. You're just lettin' his tatoos scare you."

Turns out, the second and fifth guys who had spoken were right. Maul proceeded to make a shot from half court in the next minute or so, and Shinji got in a shot towards the end. Even Kensuke managed to get in a shot. Little did they know it, but Maul was in his element. Anything that required this much physical activity was right up Maul's alley.

By the end of the game, everyone was cheering for Shinji, Kensuke, and the new guy.

"Good job guys!" called Toji.

"Alright Maul!" exclaimed Asuka. "Way to go!" Maul looked up in some surprise. He had not seen Asuka up there before now, and he had certainly never expected to hear praise from her. Strangely enough Maul found himself staring at her, out of curiosity he was sure. He blinked and turned his eyes elsewhere.

"Good job Maul," said Kensuke, patting him on the back.

"Yeah," said Shinji as they walked over to where Toji was sitting. "Not bad for your first time."

"First time!" exclaimed Toji. "Are you serious!? You mean he's never played this game before!?" Everyone heard Toji's outburst, including the five who had lost to Shinji, Maul, and Kensuke. As if losing five to nothing against three guys wasn't bad enough, they had lost to two guys who were known not to be athletes and a guy who'd never played before!

"I guess I've just got some natural talent," said Maul, repeating what Shinji had said the previous day. He smiled, showing off his teeth. They were startling. They were perfectly clean, but they looked slightly sharper than normal teeth.

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Shinji, Rei, Asuka, and Maul left the school together. No one in the class had been able to stop talking about the game. His first day at school, and Maul was already becoming a legend. Most of the kids were sure that the coach would want Maul on the basketball team after today's performance.

"I think I like basketball," said Maul.

"I take it that it really made your day, huh?" asked Asuka.

"Yes," answered Maul. "The first half of the day was annoying. Although, I did learn quite a bit about this planet. That 'Second Impact' sounded like it affected your planet a great deal. I've never known a planet to be so devastated by a single meteor."

"Wait," said Asuka, "Hold up. You mean you believed the teacher's lecture?"

"Yes," said Maul, curiously. "Why?"

"Didn't NERV tell you anything?"

"No."

"I'm not surprised," said Shinji. "They didn't tell me much when I first got here either." Asuka began explaining what had really caused the Second Impact, while Shinji and Rei just listened. They knew that the Section 2 Agents must be close behind, so they still couldn't do anything. Shinji hoped that his dad would start trusting Maul enough soon, so that he and Rei would be free to express their feelings for each other more openly. Having to constantly hide it was tough.

But they bore it, knowing that if they showed any affection for each other, the Section 2 Agents would see and most likely report it to the Commander, who would then try and put a stop to it.

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By the end of the day, Maul had learned a great deal. He had learned more about the planet, he'd learned about basketball, he'd learned about the Children, and he'd even learned something about himself.

He noticed that he had actually felt something other than rage or anger during the day. He'd actually enjoyed himself. He found himself thinking about what Shinji had said. 'That's what friends are for.' Friends... Were he and Shinji friends? Were all four of them friends? He'd never had anything close to a friend before, so he didn't know. And Asuka. She'd surprised him today with her cheering. Even Rei, normally emotionless, had shown that she was capable of emotion due to her apparent friendship with Shinji.

He also started thinking about the dream he'd had the previous night. Who had the old Jedi been? He pushed the thought out of his mind. Just something his mind had come up with. But could the dream have meant something? It was possible, but...

Regardless, he felt that he'd come to a decision. He'd need time to prepare the things that he needed, but he knew what he was going to do. He knew now exactly who would become his Apprentice!

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That's right! Maul has teh basketball skillz! Sorry, couldn't help it, lol.

I figured that Maul would be good at sports, so I picked basketball. Seemed like the sort of thing he might play. I also fixed his teeth, adding to his list of physical changes(it'll all be explained eventually, I promise). And he's connecting more with the pilots, and discovering he may have friends. He's learned more about Earth as well. And, most importantly, he's finally reached a decision/revealed exactly what he was planning on doing (you guys already knew of course, I take pride in having a smart audience **:)**). Who exactly will he choose to be his Apprentice? And what is he going to get ready? Find out next time.

P.S. I'm not going to be going into detail for each day at school. The next chapter is going to contain a lot of summary with detail when needed. See ya then!

P.P.S. Akane means "deep red" in Japanese.


	7. week one

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or Evangelion. Just this story

Author's note: I was gonna write over the weekend, but I decided to take a break instead. So, here I am a week later, back again. Remember what I said last time: most of this chapter is summary. There are bigger details here and there when needed, but it's a summary of Maul's first week at school for the most part. On with the show!

Oh, and one reviewer mentioned that the Japanese typically don't have middle names. Maul isn't really Japanese, and I'd think that Gendo would try to pass him off as a foreign student (a strange version of the truth).

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Maul's next few days at school did several things. It provided Maul with more knowledge of Earth, helped him learn more about his future Apprentice, and also helped solidify his status as a natural in the game of basketball.

Unfortunately, he had been plagued by his bizarre dream each night. The old Jedi's (for that is certainly what he was) face became clearer and clearer each night, and it seemed more familiar as well. Maul still didn't know who it was, but he was feeling more and more as if the man was not simply a figment of his imagination.

As time went on, Maul also got better at controlling his anger. He knew that doing so would make Gendo more likely to trust him and call off Section 2. He was sick of them trailing him wherever he went. He also knew that if he behaved, he'd be more likely to be allowed to leave the NERV facility to find his own place to live. His initial request had been denied, of course. And there was still the matter of the preparations. Maul had been writing down a list of things he'd need, when a big problem became apparent to him.

The dilemma reared its ugly head on Wednesday, when the students got back a graded pop-quiz from the day before. Maul had answered every question correctly, as the quiz had been based off of the teacher's Second Impact lecture. When he got the quiz, he found he was unable to read the red symbol the teacher had wrote at the top. He went to Shinji for an explanation.

"Shinji," he said.

"Yeah Maul?" Shinji asked.

"What is the meaning of this symbol?" he pointed to the red mark. Shinji looked at the mark, and then at him.

"You're kidding, right?" asked Shinji. Maul blinked. "That symbol means that you failed the quiz."

"What!?" exclaimed Maul. "I answered every question correctly! You can see for yourself!" Shinji began reading what Maul had written. He looked at the paper for a moment, looked up at Maul, back at the paper, and then at Maul again. "Well?"

"I can't make heads or tails of this," said Shinji.

"Huh?" asked Maul. For an answer, Shinji handed Maul his paper back, as well as showing his own paper to him.

"Look at your paper, and then at mine," said Shinji. "Tell me if you see a difference." Maul looked at the two papers. While his own paper was perfectly legible, Shinji's looked like a lot of gibberish. "I guess they didn't teach you how to write in Japanese, did they?"

"No way," said Asuka, having come over to see what Maul's problem had been. "They didn't teach him how to write Japanese, and they sent him to school?" She began to laugh, but Maul's expression stopped her.

It was an angry expression, full of frustration at not being given what he needed to fit in at the school. And it almost looked as if Asuka's laughter had somehow hurt his feelings, which frustrated him more as he didn't know how those feelings got there in the first place.

"Don't sweat it Maul," said Shinji. "I could teach you how to write Japanese. It shouldn't be too hard." Shinji was surprised at how sure he sounded. He sounded a lot more confident than he really was.

"Really?" asked Maul.

"Sure," said Shinji, "No problem. We can start at lunch if you like."

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And so, Shinji began teaching Maul how to write Japanese. Fortunately enough, the symbols that Maul was using (universal script that was used as a means of interplanetary communication back when he was on Coruscant) matched up with Japanese symbols quite well. As in, anything that Shinji wrote in Japanese characters, Maul could write in the same number of symbols. Maul was a quick learner, and quickly picked up Japanese. He was good at writing it the very next day.

While this did help him, it raised another question, one more to add to his list. How was it that he could understand everyone and vice versa? He'd never heard of 'Japanese' before, but apparently he had been speaking it the entire time. This question, as did the others, troubled him. When would he get an explanation?

However, Maul decided to work on something he could do something about. Using his newfound knowledge of Japanese script, he created a list of things he'd need before he was ready to take his apprentice. Knowing that Gendo was capable of getting all of these things, Maul wasted no time in giving it to him.

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Gendo read the list carefully. He looked up at Maul. "And why exactly do you need these things?" he asked.

"That is my business," answered Maul. Gendo raised an eyebrow in reaction to his insolence. "But if you must know, it is for... a project that I need to start."

"A school project?" asked Maul.

"Not exactly," said Maul. "More of a personal project, which, before you ask, does not involve any negative consequences on your part." Maul, of course, knew that this may not prove to be the case, but it didn't matter.

"Hmm," said Gendo. "Do you think you could give me a few more details? I'm not just going to give you something if I don't know what it's going to be used for."

"It's for a furnace," said Maul. "I need it for weapon maintenance." He wasn't exactly lying. The furnace had **something** to do with his lightsaber, after all.

"Ah yes," said Gendo, "That 'saber' thing of yours. Maintenance, huh?"

"Yes," replied Maul. After a few moments, Gendo conceded.

"Fine," he said. "I will get you the parts you've requested. But try and cross me, and you know what will happen." Gendo turned around and walked away. Maul fought the urge to snap his neck. He hated Gendo. Suddenly though, Maul noticed something. Gendo's right hand was emitting a strange energy. Just like the Worm, and the small bit that he sensed in Rei. How had he not noticed it before?

Maul shrugged it off. Soon, he'd have the parts necessary to create his furnace, as well as a few other parts. Not everything on the list had been for the furnace, after all. And he had one last thing to take care of.

He made his way to Dr. Akagi's office. He had to ask her something.

She was a bit surprised when he showed up. "Dr. Akagi," he said.

"Yes?" she asked. "What do you need?"

"I'd like you to analyze something," he said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a red crystal.

"That crystal?"

"Yes. I'd like to know where I might find crystals similar to this one." Ritsuko was a bit puzzled, but she took the crystal from Maul anyway.

"Um, okay," she said, turning it around slowly while she looked at it. "Can I ask why?"

"I just need to find a few more of these," he said. "It's important."

"Really?" asked Ritsuko, suspicious.

"Yes," said Maul. "You see, I am trying to make my room seem a bit more like home, and where I come from there are crystals like this in abundance."

"Hm, interesting," said Ritsuko. "I'll see what I can do. Come back tomorrow."

"Thank you," said Maul, turning and leaving the room. He smirked on his way back to his room. It was easy to deceive someone when they knew nothing about him. Sure, he'd had to sacrifice a blade of his lightsaber, but he needed to find some crystals. And once he had the furnace, he'd be able to do something with them. Or rather, his apprentice would.

As long as Gendo didn't connect any dots, he was fine. He knew that he couldn't let Gendo know what powered his weapon, or what the source of the blade was, so he'd simply used half-truths and lies. He'd have everything he'd need, and Gendo would be none the wiser.

Yes, things were moving smoothly.

888

Things continued to move well throughout that week for Maul. By Friday, he had acquired all of the parts he'd requested from Gendo, and Dr. Akagi had found some crystals similar to the one Maul had given her. Of course, Maul's had been much different than the ones she found due to the crystal's origin, but what she had found fit the bill. They were just like what Maul's had been originally, before it had undergone Sith Alchemy. These crystals were clear, but wouldn't be that way forever. No, the diamonds that she'd given him would eventually get their own color and become the most important component of the weapon of Jedi and Sith alike.

One of these would become his Apprentice's lightsaber crystal.

888

Shinji and Rei, meanwhile, continued to do what they were doing. They'd gotten good at not being seen and not giving away the game. Shinji had almost blown it Monday, but not anymore. He was worried that Asuka might get suspicious about him always going to school to turn in 'make-up work', but being an Eva pilot actually gave him an alibi.

Due to the several incidents when he had ended up missing school due to a battle with an Angel, he actually did have make-up work. Of course, it had been done a long time ago, but Asuka (or anyone else for that matter) didn't need to know that.

Shinji kept working with Maul so that he would fit in, knowing that the more he did, the sooner Gendo wouldn't have goons following him all the time.

And Maul continued playing basketball. It was a nonviolent outlet for his aggression and anger (which he was still quite saturated with), and it was an activity he enjoyed participating in. He started challenging people to two-on-one matches, eventually working his way up to three. He remained undefeated.

Also, the tension that had sprung up the first day between he and Toji had eased. They had gained a mutual respect for one another: Toji respecting Maul's basketball abilities, and Maul respecting the fighting spirit he sensed within Toji. He couldn't help but respect a guy who could have only one leg and not feel sorry for himself all the time. In fact, he never once felt sorry for himself, not that Maul could see. He seemed to look at the whole thing like a minor inconvenience and nothing more. Maul respected that.

888

Maul lay in bed Friday night, running through everything in his head. He had the materials he needed, and tomorrow he would get to work. Now he only needed to have a few more things happen before his plans could really get underway. He needed Gendo to call off his lackeys first off, as Section 2 Agents tailing him everywhere was trying on his patience, and he needed his own place. That was quite important, as he did not want his activities to be so closely monitored by Gendo. Gendo needn't learn anything that Maul was up to, nor anything about the technology that Maul had knowledge of. He wasn't about to let Gendo get his hands on anything that could be used against him. The fact that he'd kept Gendo away from his lightsaber this long was already astounding. Maul knew that he couldn't let Gendo get it though. He had to retain that advantage.

However, Maul was still plagued by his growing list of unanswered questions. He'd have to find answers to them somehow. But the biggest question on his mind was the one concerning his recurring dream.

Who was the old Jedi? What connection did he have to him? Was he real, or just a figment of Maul's imagination? Maul tried to ignore it. He was sure he'd learn all the answers eventually.

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And there you have it! I told ya it was mostly summary. Anywho, I'll be taking a bit more time off (most likely). There's a completely original story I've got running around in my head, and it won't leave me alone. So, I'm gonna be working on that on and off for a while.

I'll still be working on this though, as this is the prevalent story(as far as fanfics go) on my mind. So yeah.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of Apprentice!


	8. plans

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or Evangelion. Just this story

Author's note: Alright, I'm back. I took a nice long break, and I'm ready to return. I've been pretty busy lately, especially now that I've gotten a job. I meant to work on this over the summer, but i never got around to it. However, oddly, now that school has started again I can actually work on it. Weird, huh?

Oh, and for all intents and purposes, Japanese schools went back to just going five days a week after Second Impact. Smaller classes means the teacher can focus more on individuals, etc etc, so yeah. Whatever. So, on with the show!

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Maul had already started his work on the furnace. It was coming along smoothly. He had worked constantly since he had gotten up on Saturday, and he was sure he was a third done with it. Of course, it was the easy third of the furnace. The internal workings of the device would be much more time consuming. But if he worked steadily at it, he was sure he'd have it done within the week.

He stopped for a moment to collect his thoughts, and plan his next move. The furnace was now coming along, and he had everything needed to create a lightsaber. Now all he needed was his Apprentice. He'd chosen quite carefully. He had to take in account both potential (which all three of them possessed) and personality. He knew what he was looking for, and he knew exactly who possessed it. He did have one more thing he should check though. And he knew Dr. Akagi would have the answer

888

Shinji and Rei walked through the park together. Free from school, they also knew they were free from Section 2. As long as they weren't around Maul, they knew they could spend time together without fear of discovery. Neither thought that anything positive would come of Gendo learning about them, so they intended to keep him ignorant of them being a couple.

"So Rei," asked Shinji, "What do you think about Maul?"

"I think he has made progress since we first met him," answered Rei. "It is likely that the Commander will have Section 2 stop following him soon."

"Good," said Shinji. He looked up at the sky. There were hardly any clouds. It was beautiful out. He looked back at Rei, walking alongside him. She was smiling, adding to the beauty she possessed, which Shinji felt made Nature's pale by comparison. At that moment, Shinji felt that he'd never seen anything as beautiful as she, and felt happy in the knowledge that she loved him.

They reached a bench near the pond in the center of the park and sat down. Shinji put his arm around the blue-haired girl, and she rested her head against his shoulder in response. The park was serene. There weren't many people around on that particular Saturday, so the air, while still filled with noise, retained a tranquil quality. There was a faint breeze, which was just enough to make the air cool and comfortable. He sighed, contented.

"I love you Rei-chan," he said.

"I love you too Shinji-kun," said Rei. They sat there for a long time, feeling like time had stopped just for them, just so that they could have this peaceful moment for as long as they wanted. Shinji looked down at Rei, who looked back up at him. Their faces began coming closer. Their eyes slowly closed, as did the distance between them. Their lips made contact, and they were completely lost in the moment.

They stayed that way for a long time. "Let's go get lunch," said Shinji when they finally broke it off.

"Alright," said Rei, smiling. They got of the bench and started walking towards a restaurant.

888

Maul stood outside Ritsuko's office. He needed some further information on the pilots. He felt instinctively that he'd need some information on their Eva piloting abilities. He wasn't sure why, but he felt that it would somehow affect their potential in using the Force. He knocked on the door and waited.

"Come in," came Ritsuko's voice. Maul stepped in. "Oh, hello Maul. What do you need?" Ritsuko was currently filing something away.

"I'd like some information on the Children," said Maul.

"What kind of information?" asked Ritsuko, looking up from her filing cabinet. Maul had to think about it for a few seconds. How best to put it?

"I'd like to look at their," he began slowly, "Battle records."

"Battle records?" asked Ritsuko. "Why do you want to look at those?" Maul had been asking for odd things since he arrived. Ritsuko was starting to get a little suspicious. Maul sensed this, and acted fast.

"You see," said Maul, "Where I'm from, I'm a warrior. I feel that I could better connect with them if I knew that they were too." It was pretty weak, and hastily constructed, but it was the only thing Maul could think of.

"Really?" asked Ritsuko, skeptically. "What are you really up to, Maul?" Maul looked from side to side. What could he say now?

"It's just something I need to see," said Maul. "You could say it was out of curiosity." Ritsuko raised an eyebrow. She hadn't bought it at all. However, she reached for the files anyway.

"'Curiosity', huh?" she asked. "Well, just out of _curiosity_, does this have anything to do with the materials you asked the Commander to get for you? Or maybe the diamonds I found for you?" She was holding the files, but she wasn't making any move to hand them to him. Ordinarily, Maul simply would have killed her and taken what he wanted, but he knew that doing so here would not work.

"You really don't need to concern yourself with it," said Maul, casually waving his hand.

"Considering that I got you the diamonds," she said, "Thus making myself an accomplice to whatever you're up to, I'd say I need to concern myself at this point. I'm no idiot, Maul. Unlike the Commander, who accepted your explanation of your list being for a furnace, I know a thing or two about mechanics. Even if you are building a furnace, it's not any normal furnace. And some of those things you requested have nothing to do with any kind of heating system I can think of at all."

Maul cursed silently. 'Damn,' he thought, 'She is not nearly weak-minded enough for the mind trick, and she knows I've been lying. What do I do now?'

"Whatever you're up to," she said, lowering her voice, "I want in." Maul's confused expression earned him some further explanation. "I've seen my share of strange things," she said. "I've seen a good deal of advanced technology. I've seen a great deal of biological anomalies. You fall into all of those categories, and now you're going to involve the pilots in some way. Don't look so surprised. I didn't become top scientist around here for nothing."

"What exactly is it that you want?" asked Maul. Ritsuko smiled.

"Just a few things," said Ritsuko. "The Commander is already conducting his own investigation into your powers. He'll be getting to your weapon soon enough. What I want is to study all of this myself. I want to know how you do the things you do. I want to know how your weapon works. What I'm proposing is this: I keep your little projects a secret, and I supply what you need. I won't let Gendo know about any of this, either. And all I want in return is the chance to study you, study your weapon, and study whatever it is you're going to be doing with the Children. What do you say?" Maul thought about it. These were strange terms.

"Why?" he asked. "Why do you want to study all this?"

"Knowledge is power," said Ritsuko. "I want to know something that almost no one else knows. And besides, that weapon of yours is good for fighting Angels. It might be nice to have when the next one comes." Maul thought about this.

"I have your assurance that none of this will be made known to Gendo?" Ritsuko nodded. Maul's eyes strayed to the files in her hand. "Fine," he said. "I will agree to those terms." They shook on it. Ritsuko handed him the files.

888

Asuka was sitting at home, bored. There was nothing good on TV, Shinji was out... somewhere, and she had nothing planned for the day. At least if Shinji was around she'd have someone to talk to. Misato was sleeping in, so talking to her was no good, and Pen-Pen wasn't exactly great for conversations. Venting, sure, but he didn't hold up his end of a conversation very well.

She sat there for a few minutes, still trying to figure out what she could do. She found herself thinking about Maul, strangely enough.

'What's with him?' she thought. 'He's so weird. He shows up out of nowhere, he's got some kind of crazy alien weapon, he's apparently some kind of crazy alien himself, he's got some kind of power, he's tatooed from head to toe, he's hot...' Asuka blinked. She did **not** just think that. She sighed. Okay, she **did** think that. However, her next thought gave her some solace. 'Just about every single girl in our class was saying the exact same thing. So really, thinking he's good-looking is perfectly normal.' She stood up and stretched.

'Still though, it's weird,' she thought. 'He's not a normal guy. The attention he's been getting from pretty much every girl in class would excite most, if not all, guys. He seems completely uninterested in anything. He's always just sitting there, brooding. He only seems to care about anything when he's playing basketball.' She walked to the fridge and started looking for something to eat. She looked in the freezer and found some ice-cream. She fixed herself a bowl and sat down to eat. She looked at the chocolate syrup running down the ice cream, which reminded her of Maul's tatoos. She suddenly remembered something.

"He said that only some of it was tatoo," said Asuka, taking a bite. "His skin is red and black. I wonder which color is tatoo?"

"Huh?" asked Misato, coming out of her room. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," said Asuka, taking another bite.

"Bull," said Misato. "You were talking about Maul weren't you?" Misato grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down at the table.

"Why would I be saying anything about him?" asked Asuka. Misato smiled mischievously.

"Cause you like him," said Misato, taking a sip of her beer. Asuka's jaw dropped.

"What!?" she exclaimed. "Like him!? Are you nuts!?" Misato tried not to laugh. "He's arrogant, rude, always acts like he's about to kill somebody... He is absolutely infuriating!"

"Yep," said Misato. "You like him." Asuka opened her mouth to speak, but instead just took in another spoonful of ice cream.

'This must be how Shinji feels when Misato does this,' she thought. 'She takes great delight in tormenting us, doesn't she?' She glared at Misato, who only laughed.

"Calm down," said Misato, "I'm just teasing you. You should've seen the look on your face when I said 'You like him.' Priceless." Oh yeah. Misato **definitely** enjoyed tormenting them. "But you've got a point. He's not exactly my favorite person either. I don't think he's ever once given me a straight answer to anything."

"What do you mean?"

"He just keeps doing stuff that doesn't seem possible, and he keeps showing that he knows things he couldn't possibly know. When I ask him about it, he just changes the subject."

"See?" asked Asuka. "Told you. He's a real jackass."

"Yep," said Misato, taking another sip. "... But you still like him."

"Oh shut up!"

888

Shinji and Rei walked away from the restaurant, pretty much planning to just wander around for a while. The meal had been very nice. The atmosphere of the restaurant had been perfect, too. All in all, it added to Rei and Shinji's already wonderful day. They walked down the street, blissfully unaware that they were being watched.

"The First and Third Child seem to be spending time together," said a Section 2 agent, a light brown-haired man.

"Yes," said his partner, a dark haired man, "It seems they are. Is it of any consequence?"

"I don't think so," said the first. "Unless we see anything truly out of the ordinary, it's of no concern."

"Why exactly did we get stuck with this assignment, Mizaki?"

"Not sure, Kazuma," said Mizaki. "Commander Ikari just told us to keep an eye on Pilot Ayanami. He's having several guys watch that Maul guy."

"Maul I can understand," said Kazuma, "But why Ayanami?"

"Cause she's his favorite, I guess," said Mizaki. "He seems to be getting more tight-lipped about things lately. He's giving orders with less explanation than usual. Wonder why?"

"Me too," said Kazuma, "But- Hey! I lost them!" They had been so busy talking that they's lost sight of Rei and Shinji.

"Crap," said Mizaki. "Better find them quick. She shouldn't be too hard to spot though. I mean, she has blue hair."

As the Section 2 Agents looked for them, Shinji and Rei kept going, ignorant of their spies. They had begun talking.

"So," said Shinji, "What do you think's gonna happen when the next one comes?"

"The next Angel?" asked Rei.

"Yeah," said Shinji. "Do you think my father will really send Maul out with us? No Eva or anything?"

"Your father sent you out against the Third Angel with no fighting or piloting experience, with minimal chance of Unit 1 functioning," said Rei, "And he was going to send me out even though I was almost completely incapable of movement. I doubt he would have any qualms about sending out a person he hardly knows." Shinji's eyes narrowed.

"You have a point," he said. "My father doesn't care about anyone. I mean, I heard he rescued you after what happened to Unit 0, but still... he was going to send you out when you couldn't even move without it hurting." Rei looked at Shinji.

"And you got in Unit 1 so that I wouldn't have to," she said. Shinji thought back to that day.

"Well," he said, "Sorta, yeah. It was for a lot of reasons, but... I really couldn't let you pilot it." He remembered seeing her blood on his hand. "There was no way I could let anyone who was hurt as badly as you put themselves in any more danger. I just couldn't." He looked at Rei. She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss.

"Thank you," she said, resting her head on his shoulder as they continued to walk. "There was also the time after we fought the Fifth Angel. You helped me out of the entry plug just as your father had done."

"The only similarity with my father I could ever be proud of," said Shinji. "I never want to turn out like him."

"You won't," said Rei. "I am sure of that." She grabbed his hand. Shinji smiled.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she replied. They walked in silence for a few moments. By the time Agents Mizaki and Kazuma had caught up with them, they had gone back to just talking. They stayed far enough back that they couldn't hear what the Children were saying, but they could see their expressions.

"Is the First smiling?" asked Mizaki. "Is that possible?"

"I'm not sure," said Kazuma. "I've never seen her smile before. Is that out of the ordinary?"

"Not sure," said Mizaki. "We'll wait. So she's smiling, big deal. We only tell the Commander if it's something that may be important. Smiling aside, we've seen nothing out of the ordinary."

"Agreed," said Kazuma.

888

Ritsuko put the files back into the file-cabinet. She had made Maul copies. She smiled. She wasn't sure what Maul was up to, but she was willing to help. She hadn't told Maul the whole truth, either. Playing him at his own game, she'd kept her true motivations hidden. Certainly, studying him would be fascinating. However, th at wasn't exactly why she'd helped him.

This was her chance to get back at Him. She was sick and tired of Him, and his agenda. Helping Maul would certainly prove to be the best way at getting back at Gendo Ikari. Whatever the mysterious young man had planned, she knew it would certainly interfere with Gendo's plans. She could feel it.

888

Shinji got home soon after walking Rei back to her apartment. They had spent most of the day together. He would have gladly spent more time with her, but it was getting late and they all needed to rest up for the next day. They had sync-tests the next day, as well as a full run on the training program.

Asuka was sitting on the couch watching TV. "Hey baka," she said as he walked in.

"Hello Asuka," he sighed. 'I wish she would stop calling me that.' Asuka watched as Shinji made his way into the kitchen to make dinner.

"Where've you been all day?" she asked.

"Oh," said Shinji, "You know. Went to the park, hung out."

"Sounds thrilling," said Asuka.

"You don't know the half of it," Shinji said under his breath, smiling.

888

888

Gendo sat at his desk, deep in thought. Maul had indeed set things back. However, the time of Third Impact was still drawing nearer. The only snag had been this: if Maul had appeared unpredicted, was it possible for there to be Angels on the way that the Scrolls hadn't foretold? If that was to be the case, NERV must continue it's anti-Angel function, and proceed normally.

However, he wanted Rei watched. The time for Third Impact could be right at any moment, and he wanted nothing to happen to the key before then. If something happened that resulted in Rei's death, he might not have a replacement ready in time. After all, when the UN found out exactly what he was up to, that his scenario was not what they wanted... well, needless to say things could become rather messy.

Maul aside, however, his plans would succeed.

888

Maul closed the last file. "I chose correctly," he said, satisfied. "My Apprentice is not only the one most readily attuned with the Force, but also the one with the most impressive battle record as well as the highest 'sync ratio'. Interesting. It seems the two may be connected somehow." He walked back to his room.

He put the files away somewhere safe. He sat down on his bed. "Yes," he said. "My Apprentice, shall be Shinji."

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Maul's Apprentice revealed! How will Shinji take the news? And what about the others?

So yeah, Ritsuko is now helping Maul. I figured that Ritsuko was certainly smart enough to see that Maul was up to something, and at this point would want in on it. Gendo's totally in for it, isn't he?

But, how **will** Shinji react to the news? And what kind of Master will Maul turn out to be? And what of the Agents nowo keeping tabs on Rei? Will Rei and Shinji's relationship be compromised? Tune in next time and find out!


	9. chosen

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion or Star Wars, but I do own a copy of Episode 1 and 3 from Star Wars, and some Evangelion DVDs, as well as a couple of model kits. You didn't ask, but I thought to tell you anyway. Also, I came up with this scenario, so I guess that makes this particular story mine.

Author's Note: BACK. For realsies this time. I have an awesome friend who did exactly what needed to be done (gave me a deadline) and now I'm working on all of my fics again. I'm hoping to update this fairly regularly. If not this though, an update from me each week, at least two chapters, can be expected. Sorry to have kept you all waiting. If you wish, please thank my friend in any comments you leave on this chapter. And now, away we go!

* * *

Gendo sat in front of the Seele committee. They were each silent, waiting for Gendo's report. After a few moments, gathering his thoughts, he finally spoke.

"There has been," he said carefully, "a problem."

"A problem?" asked one.

"What sort of problem?' asked another.

"Explain yourself," said a third.

"Something unexpected has come up," said Gendo. "The last Angel that arrived."

"I understand that it infected one of the Eva's," said a Seele member. "This is the second time that such a thing has happened under your watch, Ikari." Gendo grimaced.

"That is not the problem I was referring to," said the man, keeping his cool.

"Then what?" asked another Seele member.

"An unexpected visitor has arrived," said Gendo. "He appears to be from another world entirely. He is neither man nor Angel."

"What?" asked one incredulously.

"How can that be?" asked another.

"Explain this, Ikari," demanded a third.

"I do not know how to explain it," said Ikari. "After all, there is nothing about this in the Scrolls." The members were all silent, as was Gendo.

"Not in the Scrolls," muttered one.

"What could that mean?" asked a second.

"This is unprecedented," said a third. "What should we do?"

"At present," said Gendo, "there is not much we can do. The subject is a fascinating one, albeit highly dangerous. I am currently masquerading him as a human child."

"It may be best to dispose of him," said one.

"I agree," said a second.

"The risks may outweigh any potential benefits, Ikari," said a third.

"I assure you, gentlemen," said Ikari, "I have taken all of this into consideration. However, he may prove a valuable asset. And, as of now, he is NERV property, and I will do with him as I see fit. He brought with him a weapon capable of cutting through Angels and solid metal with ease, and he projects some kind of field, or a force of some kind, that is able to bypass the Angels' AT Fields. He killed the Angel by himself, and he did all of this without an Eva. He is, therefor a valuable asset."

The other members were silent. They pondered what to do about this new situation. Unbeknownst to Gendo, they had muted themselves to him for the time being, as they spoke amongst themselves.

"Ikari is becoming untrustworthy," said one. "He is keeping secrets from us."

"Becoming?" asked a second. "I have never fully trusted him."

"Regardless," said a third. "We must now develop a contingency for this as well. A new player that can combat the Angels directly. Without use of an Eva. This presents a danger that needs to be considered." They all unmuted and resumed talking with Ikari.

"We will leave this situation to your discretion for now," said one.

"But we expect you to report to us about this from now on," said a second.

"Also, in the future, notify us of any drastic events like this immediately," said a third.

"I understand," said Gendo. With that, the committee vanished. Gendo sat there for some time, contemplating. He knew Seele didn't trust him. But he didn't care.

He could keep them at bay. He could keep this situation under control. While the time for Third Impact was not yet at hand, it soon could be. For now, though, he must be patient. He'd waited this long. He could stand to wait a while longer.

888

Darth Maul prepared his room as he did each morning. He had found the cameras hidden in and around and disabled them, as he had been doing. They were hidden better each time, but Maul was meticulous in his search, and left nothing to chance. Once he had disabled each camera (seven, this morning) he hid his lightsaber in the most secretive place he could. So far it had not been found. It would remain so.

He then got dressed for school and gathered his things. He walked out the door, and then secured the room with a complex lock he'd built soon after receiving the room. It always showed signs of a break in, but he was satisfied that by the time anyone was able to crack the lock they would already be mentally exhausted and in no condition to search his room properly. He left nothing to chance.

He arrived at school early, managing to, for a few instants, lose his Section 2 escorts. Upon arriving at school, he saw what appeared to be Shinji and Rei. They were standing together, quite close. They were far enough away that Maul couldn't quite see what they were doing, but it did not matter to him. He assumed they were talking.

Shinji and Rei, meanwhile, had just broken off a kiss when Shinji turned and saw Maul coming, his black and red skin standing out very well, even though it was a cloudy day. They moved slightly apart, knowing that were Maul was, Section 2 would be close behind. Maul walked up to them, and knew he only had minutes, so he began talking right away.

"Shinji," he said, "Rei."

"Hello, Maul," said Rei.

"Hey," said Shinji.

"Shinji," said Maul, "I would speak with you." He began walking, motioning for Shinji to follow him." Shinji looked to Rei, who smiled at him to go on ahead. Shinji quickly caught up to Maul. They rounded the corner, and then Maul turned to speak.

"I will keep this brief," he said, "as there is not much time before Section 2 arrives. I have mentioned to you that one may be taught in the ways of the Force." Shinji nodded. "The fact is, Shinji, that you are a Force Sensitive."

"I'm a... what?" asked Shinji.

"A Force Sensitive," said Maul. "You are attuned to the Force, though you may not know it. I wish to teach you how to control it."

"W-what!" Maul put a hand over his mouth.

"Be quiet, boy," he hissed. "I only just lost Section 2. They cannot know about this, understand?" Shinji nodded.

"But why me?" asked Shinji. "Why do you want to teach me?"

"I have my reasons," said Maul. "Chief among them, at present, are these two: the first is that I desire to pass my knowledge to someone else. I have my own ideas about how the Force may be taught, and I wish to teach those ways. The next is simply this: you have helped me since I arrived here. You have helped me acclimate to this 'school life' and have taught me the native language. I wish to teach you something in return. You have made my life easier. Allow me to improve yours as well."

"I see," said Shinji, thoughtfully. "I... I don't know what to say. Well... what could be the harm in it?"

"Good," said Maul, taking that as an agreement. "Then I shall teach you. But you must follow my training, and do as I instruct, understand?"

"I-I guess."

"For now," said Maul, "We will proceed as normal. I must be free of Section 2, and so I must act as if I am trustworthy. Continue to help me blend in, and access to a near unlimited power will be yours."

Shinji admitted to himself that Maul sounded sinister as he said this. But something inside told him to go along with it. Shinji nodded, and the two of them rounded the corner again and began walking back towards Rei. Maul, now in a good mood, was actually smiling.

Section 2 agents finally reached the school in time to see Maul, Shinji, and Rei standing together, simply talking and laughing. The three children noticed that there were four agents today rather than the usual two. Unbeknownst to them, two of the agents were Kazuma and Mizaki, the same agents who'd been ordered to follow Rei.

"Four?" asked Maul upon their approach.

"Yes," answered Mizaki, keeping to himself his thoughts about how odd it was to see Rei smiling. "You were a hassle for Section 2 today Maul, deliberately trying to lose them."

"I wouldn't say trying," said Maul, smirking. Behind his sunglasses, Mizaki narrowed his eyes at Maul.

"The point is," said the agitated agent, "in response two more agents have been assigned to you today. You had best improve your behavior and cooperation."

"My apologies," said Maul, surprisingly humbly. "I was only having a bit of fun. I will cooperate the rest of the day, I assure you."

"You'd best," said Mizaki.

888

The day passed mostly uneventfully, until PE class. Maul played a few games of basketball with Shinji, and then challenged another group of three players to a 3-on-1 match. After soundly beating them, he was approached by the coach.

"Son," said the coach, "have you considered joining the school's Basketball Club?"

"Hm?" asked Maul.

"The team," said the coach. "We could use a player like you."

"And what would happen if I joined this team?" asked Maul.

"You don't get out much, do you?" asked the coach. Maul shook his head, which prompted some head shaking from the coach. "If you join the team, we can compete against other schools."

"There are others?" asked Maul.

"Of course!" exclaimed the coach. "Things may be rough in the world right now, but we still have enough people that we need multiple schools, especially in a city this size. Join the team, and together we can wipe out the competition." Something in the way the instructor had put that appealed to Maul.

"Alright," he said. "I will join this team."

888

"Congratulations, Maul," said Shinji. It was after school. Shinji, Rei, Asuka, and Maul were walking together, as they had to report to NERV after school that day.

"I can't believe you've been here for, like, a week and you're already on the basketball team," said Asuka. "I hate to admit it, but considering you didn't even know what the game was before you got here, that's pretty impressive."

"Thank you, Asuka," said Maul, surprising the group. "I enjoy the sport, but I tire of the limited competition at the school. Perhaps the other teams will provide more of a challenge."

"I think I should warn you, though," said Shinji, "when it comes to games between schools, there are more rules. You'll be working with a full team, not just by yourself." Maul frowned.

"That almost takes the fun out of it," he said.

Rei remained silent. While they had all been congratulating Maul, they had overlooked one thing. Gendo Ikari. Ultimately it was up to him wether or not to allow Maul to join the team, as he was the one overseeing Maul. If her past experience was any indication, he would likely not be allowed to join, as it would be seen as a distraction.

She kept this to herself though, not wanting to spoil the moment for her newfound friend. He would likely find out himself soon enough.

888

"These sync ratios are amazing," said Ritsuko. All three pilots were performing above and beyond normal levels.

"I know," said Misato, looking at the numbers. "Come to think of it, the kids are all in better moods lately."

"Oh?" asked Ritsuko. Misato suddenly feared she'd said to much. She had been talking with Shinji about his situation with Rei, and although she approved and was happy for them, she had a good feeling that she should kep her mouth shut about it all.

"Yeah," said Misato. "Well, at least I can say that for Asuka and Shinji. She's been recovering pretty well since her incident with the Fifteenth. And Shinji's just been in a better mood than usual lately. I think it has something to do with Maul."

"What do you mean?" asked Ritsuko.

"Well," said Misato, carefully picking her words, "remember that the Sixteenth attacked Rei. She was fairly close to dying before Maul stepped in."

"Go on."

"Well, Shinji almost lost a friend that day, right?" said Misato. "But, now she's ok. Couple that with the fact that Asuka is also feeling better, and Shinji's mood was bound to improve."

"I see," said Ritsuko, looking back at the numbers. "Well, you live with two of them, so I'll have to assume you know what you're talking about. That doesn't explain Rei's increased performance, though."

"Who knows with her," said Misato, trying to blow it off. "She's always so quiet, you know? Who knows what she's feeling at any given time. Besides, she could actually be happy too. I mean, she did survive that attack. Maybe it's making her appreciate life a little more?" It was a weak argument and she knew it, but Ritsuko seemed to buy it.

"I suppose it doesn't matter," said Ritsuko. "The numbers are better. That's what's important." She activated the intercom. "Alright pilots, you're done for the day. We got really good results. Keep up the good work."

888

Maul sat in his room. He had checked his room, and actually found no evidence of a break in. There were no new cameras, and the lock had not been tampered with at all. He began meditating, reassembling his lightsaber.

He had chosen his apprentice, and the boy had been informed. He had worked on his furnace, and made some progress. Soon, training could begin. And soon, things would begin to change.

* * *

BAM! Update. This story is finally back on track, I think. I had a lot of good ideas, and I'm about ready to implement them. As I said before, I will be updating things regularly from now on (not necessarily this story, but updates will happen) so you can expect more work from me as of next week. Also, I'd like to repeat that anyone who wishes to thank my friend for getting me on the ball may do so in the comments, and I will pass them on to her.

Stay tuned!


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